KAMPALA, Uganda — Kenyan forces claimed on Friday to have captured the last major stronghold of the Shabab Islamist group in Somalia, which, if confirmed, would spell an end to the Shabab’s ability to control large tracts of territory and the beginning of an underground, and possibly even more dangerous, guerrilla phase.
According to a Kenyan military spokesman, Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir, Kenyan forces stormed ashore at Kismayu, a port town and a significant conduit for illicit arms and smuggling profits, at 2 a.m. on Friday.
"Operation Sledge Hammer executed as planned," Major Chirchir wrote in a twitter message. "Kismayu falls and under control." He added: "All forces in good shape and spirit."
He said that Operation Sledge Hammer "was the first amphibious operation by an African force."
For the past several weeks, Kenyan fighter jets and naval ships have been pounding Kismayu, steadily taking out Shabab positions and preparing the ground for a final assault. According to residents in the town, one of Somalia’s biggest, Shabab fighters had been quietly fleeing, avoiding a showdown with the much better armed Kenyan military. Initial reports indicated there had been no heavy fighting.
Kenya’s involvement in Somalia is the most aggressive step it has ever taken against another country. Publicly, Kenyan officials said they needed to invade Somalia to protect their borders and the first troops rolled in last year. Privately, they acknowledged that Somalia’s relentless chaos was hindering Kenya’s fast-growing economy, and control of the coastline would allow Kenya to move ahead with an ambitious plan to build a new port on the Indian Ocean, not far from the Somali border.
It was not clear what is going to happen next. Kismayu has been a complicated place to rule, with several major clans competing for influence and significant port fees to fight over. Also, though the Shabab seem to have formally withdrawn from the town, they have vowed to go underground and use insurgent tactics to fight their enemies.
In the past few months, the Shabab, who have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda, have killed many people with suicide bombs and assassinations. At the same time, the group seems to be retreating to the few small towns they still control in the desert regions of central Somalia and a mountain range in the north of the country.
The Shabab withdrew from Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, last year after being battered by African Union peacekeepers.
The Kenyan military had been vowing for nearly a year to capture Kismayu but troops had been bogged down for several months in small villages near Kismayu, leading many to wonder if the force would ever reach it. On Friday, Major Chirchir sent out another triumphant twitter message: "We confirm, we not ceremonial soldiers."Many Somalis have a sense of déjà vu watching the retreat of the once formidable Shabab fighters, who terrorized people in the areas they controlled by implementing a brutal version of Sharia law. In late 2006 and early 2007, the Ethiopian Army stormed into Somalia, with covert American help, and ousted an Islamist group that controlled much of the country.
That occupation failed and led to the rise of the Shabab, a more dangerous and radical incarnation of the original Islamist group that had been in control. American and African Union officials say they have learned from their mistakes and are focusing on genuine political change to prevent militants from gaining popular support inside Somalia again.
Somalia’s fledgling government recently elected a new president, and donor countries, including the United States, are making enormous contributions in technical and financial assistance to help the Somali government deliver services and earn legitimacy.
According to a Kenyan military spokesman, Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir, Kenyan forces stormed ashore at Kismayu, a port town and a significant conduit for illicit arms and smuggling profits, at 2 a.m. on Friday.
"Operation Sledge Hammer executed as planned," Major Chirchir wrote in a twitter message. "Kismayu falls and under control." He added: "All forces in good shape and spirit."
He said that Operation Sledge Hammer "was the first amphibious operation by an African force."
For the past several weeks, Kenyan fighter jets and naval ships have been pounding Kismayu, steadily taking out Shabab positions and preparing the ground for a final assault. According to residents in the town, one of Somalia’s biggest, Shabab fighters had been quietly fleeing, avoiding a showdown with the much better armed Kenyan military. Initial reports indicated there had been no heavy fighting.
Kenya’s involvement in Somalia is the most aggressive step it has ever taken against another country. Publicly, Kenyan officials said they needed to invade Somalia to protect their borders and the first troops rolled in last year. Privately, they acknowledged that Somalia’s relentless chaos was hindering Kenya’s fast-growing economy, and control of the coastline would allow Kenya to move ahead with an ambitious plan to build a new port on the Indian Ocean, not far from the Somali border.
It was not clear what is going to happen next. Kismayu has been a complicated place to rule, with several major clans competing for influence and significant port fees to fight over. Also, though the Shabab seem to have formally withdrawn from the town, they have vowed to go underground and use insurgent tactics to fight their enemies.
In the past few months, the Shabab, who have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda, have killed many people with suicide bombs and assassinations. At the same time, the group seems to be retreating to the few small towns they still control in the desert regions of central Somalia and a mountain range in the north of the country.
The Shabab withdrew from Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, last year after being battered by African Union peacekeepers.
The Kenyan military had been vowing for nearly a year to capture Kismayu but troops had been bogged down for several months in small villages near Kismayu, leading many to wonder if the force would ever reach it. On Friday, Major Chirchir sent out another triumphant twitter message: "We confirm, we not ceremonial soldiers."Many Somalis have a sense of déjà vu watching the retreat of the once formidable Shabab fighters, who terrorized people in the areas they controlled by implementing a brutal version of Sharia law. In late 2006 and early 2007, the Ethiopian Army stormed into Somalia, with covert American help, and ousted an Islamist group that controlled much of the country.
That occupation failed and led to the rise of the Shabab, a more dangerous and radical incarnation of the original Islamist group that had been in control. American and African Union officials say they have learned from their mistakes and are focusing on genuine political change to prevent militants from gaining popular support inside Somalia again.
Somalia’s fledgling government recently elected a new president, and donor countries, including the United States, are making enormous contributions in technical and financial assistance to help the Somali government deliver services and earn legitimacy.