(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
Kenya's air force has launched air strikes on two al Shabaab camps in Somalia.
It's the first major military response to last week's attack by the militant group on a Kenyan university.
Gunmen from the al Qaeda-aligned group killed 148 people when they stormed the Garissa University College campus, near Kenya's Somali border.
Peggy Giakoumelos reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
The Kenyan Army says fighter jets have bombed two camps of the al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents in southern Somalia, days after the Islamists carried out their worst ever massacre in Kenya.
A spokesman for the army, David Obonyo, confirmed the attacks took place on Sunday and Monday, destroying two camps.
He gave no information as to casualties in the bases hit.
The airstrikes follow threats by Kenya's President, Uhuru Kenyatta, that he would retaliate against the militants for their attack on the university.
"We tell those that believe a Caliphate is possible in Kenya that we are one indivisible, sovereign, and democratic state. That fact will never change. Our forefathers bled and died for this nation and we will do everything to defend our way of life."
Kenya's government has defended its security agency against accusations that they were too slow to respond to the university attack.
Government spokesman Manoah Esipisu praised the response of the national security forces.
"There was security people on site fairly quickly. There were 663 souls saved on that day. Yes we lost 148 people and it's a lot of people to lose. And we feel that pain but let it not be taken away from the security people for doing the job that they needed to do."
The al Shabaab gunmen launched the pre-dawn attack in Garissa, storming dormitory buildings before lining up non-Muslim students for execution in what President Kenyatta described as a "barbaric medieval slaughter".
Five men have been arrested in connection with the university attack, including three alleged coordinators, captured as they fled towards Somalia, and two others in the university.
But the arrests and the airstrikes are little comfort for those who lost family members and friends in the attack.
John Wanyonyi lost his son Obedi Okodi in the attack.
(Translated) "Every child was looking up to him as their inspiration, he was joining his third year and everybody knew we were going to get relief when he would be done with his education but now our relief is gone and our hopes has been dashed".
Kenyan aeroplanes have made repeated strikes in southern Somalia since their troops crossed into their war-torn neighbour in 2011 to attack al Shabaab bases.
Kenya later also joined the African Union force fighting the Islamists.
Al Shabaab fled their power base in Somalia's capital Mogadishu in 2011, and continue to battle the African Union force sent to drive them out.
Kenya has struggled to stop the flow of al Shabaab militants and weapons across its porous 700-kilometre border with Somalia.
Al Shabaab militants have killed more than 400 people in Kenya since April 2013.
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