Pilot from Washington among Americans killed in terror attack at Kenya military base

A contract pilot and Washington native was one of the Americans killed in an attack by Al-Shabab extremists on a Kenya military base on Jan. 5.

Dustin Harrison, who grew up in Auburn and Federal Way, served as a contract pilot for the Department of Defense for 15 years, according to King 5 News. He graduated from Auburn High School in 1990.

Troy, Dustin’s brother, said he “loved aviation and knew it was too late in his life to serve in the military,” but still wanted to serve his country, King 5 reported.

“You’d talked to anybody who’d crossed paths with my brother, and they’ll say he was a hero,” Troy said. “He was a hero. He was a patriot.”

Hope Harrison, Dustin’s wife, confirmed to KOLD News 13 that she and her daughter would be flying to an Air Force Base to receive his body.

“Received the heart wrenching call this evening that my beautiful husband was one of the casualties from the terrorist that took place early this morning.” she wrote in a Facebook post. “My world is completely a nightmare at the moment. My worst fear is now my reality. The pain is unbearable. Please keep myself and our family in your prayers.”

Al-Shabab extremists attacked a Kenya Defense Force base used by U.S. counter-terrorism forces over the weekend, killing three Americans, the Associated Press reported.

The group has been linked to al-Qaida and is the first attack against the U.S. in Kenya, according to the AP. Al-Shabab claims that there were “17 U.S. casualties, nine Kenyan soldiers killed and seven aircraft destroyed.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Pilot from Washington among Americans killed in terror attack at Kenya military base."