A military court in Somalia has sentenced a militant Islamist to life in prison for his role in a deadly attack on a US base in Kenya.

Farhan Mohamud Hassan was also convicted of being a member of al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate headquartered in Somalia.

Its fighters cross the border into Kenya to carry out attacks.

A US soldier and two contractors were killed in January’s attack on the base in the coastal region of Lamu.

It was the first attack by al-Shabab on US forces in Kenya, which has troops in the 20,000-strong Africa Union force battling the militants in Somalia.

The US often carries out airstrikes in Somalia to target al-Shabab.

Hassan added that he joined al-Shabab in 2010 and took part in many attacks in southern Somalia.