Kenya says it killed al-Shabab commander, two white foreign militants

On Monday, Kenyan officials said that Kenyan troops killed 11 al-Shabab Islamist militants attacking an army base in coastal Lamu County over the weekend, and that the dead included regional commander Luqman Osman Issa, or Shirwa, and also probably a Briton named Thomas Evans. Evans, also known as Abdul Hakim, converted to Islam at age 19 then later joined the Somali militant group. He was one of two white apparent foreigners whose bodies were recovered on the al-Shabab side. Kenya said that two of its soldiers were killed in the attack also.

Kenya believes Evans is one of the slain white militants based on photos and other data, says Kenya Defense Forces spokesman Colonel David Obonyo, "but we cannot be certain becomes sometimes looks can be deceiving." Only a DNA test and biometric analysis will confirm the body's identity, he added.

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