SOMALIA: Kenyan forces backed by soldiers of Somalia's transitional federal government intensify push to regain control of Kismayo from al-Qaeda-linked militants

Record ID: 375537

  • Title: SOMALIA: Kenyan forces backed by soldiers of Somalia's transitional federal government intensify push to regain control of Kismayo from al-Qaeda-linked militants
  • Date: 15th December 2011
  • Summary: MORE OF KDF SOLDIERS TREATING A YOUNG CHILD
  • Embargoed: 30th December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Somalia, Somalia
  • Country: Somalia
  • Topics: Conflict,Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVAEUD5KU9L8JQKLY0AVY04I3CML
  • Story Text: Kenyan soldiers backed by Somali forces said on Wednesday (December 14) they intend to advance deeper into militant al-Shabaab held territory and recapture Kismayo.
    Kenya sent hundreds of troops across the border into southern Somalia in October 2011 to crush the insurgency it blames for a series of kidnappings on its soil and regular cross-border attacks. Its air force has launched sporadic strikes on what it says are rebel targets.
    The al-Qaeda allied al-Shabaab have been attempting to seize control of Somalia and impose a strict version of Sharia law on the nation.
    The officer commanding the southern sector Major Rashid Seif said the allied troops main objective was to obtain control of a key town.
    "Our conduct of operation here is basically in conformity with other troops that are in other sectors, the northern sector and central sector. So basically the ultimate objective is the capture of Kismayo, so it is building up to that," he said.
    The rebel-held port city of Kismayo has been seen as an inlet for fighters and goods, while exporting charcoal that has largely funded the militias' weapons purchases.
    The militia have floundered against the more superior firepower of the Kenyan army but have started using landmines and improvised explosive devices to target the Kenyan security forces.
    To win the confidence of people in the south, Kenyan troops have been handing out food packages and offering free medical services in a region that was riddled with famine and drought earlier in the year.
    Al-Shabaab have vowed revenge on the region's largest economy and threatened to attack the neighbouring state.
    About 9,000 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers make up the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeeping force, which is propping up the shaky Western-backed Somali government and now controls much of the capital Mogadishu after al-Shabaab withdrew in August from the coastal city.
    The Horn of Africa country has been wracked by violence since the overthrow of dictator Siad Barre in 1991allowed first warlords, then Islamist militants, to step into the political vacuum.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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