

Residents of 10 Somali towns have been warned by Kenya’s military to expect to be “under attack continuously” as Kenya moves forward with its intervention in its lawless neighboring Horn of Africa nation, Reuters news agency reported Tuesday.

Kenyan military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said on his Twitter account that anyone with relatives and friends in the towns, which included Baidoa, the port city of Kismayu and Afgoye, should be advising them accordingly.

Kenya dispatched troops to Somalia last month in an attempt to quash the Somali Islamist militia the Shabab, which it blames for a spate of kidnappings of foreigners on Kenyan soil and frequent attacks on its defense forces along the countries’ shared border.

The warning to residents of the Somali towns came the same day as Somali militants ambushed a Kenyan military convoy, according to Reuters. Several Shabab fighters were killed during a gun battle, and three Kenyan soldiers wounded, the news agency reported, citing Kenyan security sources.