THE BATTLE FOR SOMALIA

Posted on Aug 12, 2012 | No Comments

The Kenya army military jeeps cruise past the Ishakani border point on their way to the battle frontline where Kenyan troops were gearing up for an onslaught to Kismayu in this picture taken on 26 Oct 2011.

The long-planned assault on Somalia’s southern port town of Kismayu by the Kenya Defence Forces and their Amisom allies is probably only days away in what will be a decisive week for Somalia.

Sources believe the massive build-up of troops, the escalating “probing attacks” to test Al-Shabaab defences, as well as the increased aerial surveillance, are all indications of an imminent large-scale offensive.

Kenyan Navy warships shelled Al-Shabaab targets overnight while Amisom reconnaissance planes were spotted over Kismayu on Saturday.

A Somali source well informed on developments in the Jubba Valley told the Daily Nation that many influential local actors in the region believe the attack will be launched later this week.

Military sources told the Daily Nation that aerial surveillance and reconnaissance flights conducted by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, started on Saturday.

KDF refers to the initial attacks as “shaping-up operations”.

A seemingly sophisticated and well-choreographed military strategy designed to dislodge Al-Shabaab was agreed after top commanders of the reshaped African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) concluded their planning meetings on Thursday, August 9, in Nairobi.

The field commanders from the Kenyan, Ugandan and Burundian contingents flew back to their bases on Friday morning.