DHOBLEY, Somalia - At least 8 Kenyan soldiers have been confirmed dead and two others wounded in a powerful landmine explosion near Somalia's' border town of Dhobley on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.

The bomb ripped through a vehicle that part of a military convoy carrying Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers crossing the border and en route to their bases on the outskirts of Dhobley, located in Lower Jubba region.

An official at Kenyan defence ministry said the Improvised Explosive Device [IED] tore apart the vehicle, killing the KDF soldiers instantly on the spot. The injured soldiers and bodies of the deceased have been airlifted to Nairobi.

Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based extremist group has claimed the responsibility for the deadly attack through a statement published its affiliated media outlet, Radio Andalus, saying it killed 15 Kenyan soldiers in the IED.

Sunday's explosion was the latest in series of Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya's northeast region near Somalia border since Nairobi sent combat troops to the neighbouring war-torn country in 2011 who are now part of AMISOM.

GAROWE ONLINE