NAIROBI — Kenya’s military declared on Friday that it had captured the last stronghold of Somalia’s al-Shabab militia, potentially crippling the al-Qaeda-linked group financially and forcing it to rely on insurgent and terror attacks to advance its agenda.
Kenyan forces, operating as part of an African Union effort to support the weak Somali government, entered the port town of Kismayu in a pre-dawn ocean assault dubbed Operations Sledge Hammer, said Kenyan military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir.
“Kismayu falls and under control,” Chirchir wrote on Twitter. “All forces in good shape and spirit.”
But it remained unclear how much of Kismayu the Kenyans actually controlled, and whether they were facing resistance from the al-Shabab fighters.
Also on Twitter, the Shabab militia said that it was fighting back against the Kenyan forces, and maintained that “the courageous mujaheen” were thwarting the invasion.
“Kismayu remains firmly in the hands of the mujahedeen, stay tuned for updates,” the militia wrote.
According to residents, Kenyan forces had taken control over the port, but not the entire town. “Al-Shabab fighters are on the streets and heading toward the front line in speeding cars. Their radio is still on the air and reporting the war,” Mohamed Haji, a resident, told the Associated Press.
If Kismayu does fall, it would represent a significant military and financial blow to the militia, which still controls large swaths of the countryside in southern Somalia. The town, especially its port, is a significant source of revenue to finance the militia’s activities.
The assault on Kismayu comes nearly a year after U.S- backed African Union forces, mandated to help Somalia’s transitional government, pushed al-Shabab out of the capital, Mogadishu.
Since then, the militia also has fled other towns, offering little resistance to the African Union forces, of which Kenya is now a part.
Kenyan forces entered Somalia last October, following a spate of kidnappings and assaults inside Kenya, including some that targeted Westerners. The crimes damaged Kenya’s fast-growing economy, particularly its tourism industry, one of its primary sources of foreign exchange revenue.
After marching toward Kismayu for nearly a year, Kenyan forces in recent weeks began bombarding the town from the ocean and by air, driving thousands of residents to flee, according to aid agencies.
As its control of population centers has shrunk, the Shabab militia has intensified guerilla attacks in Mogadishu in recent weeks, dispatching suicide bombers and assassinating government officials and journalists.
Many observers expect they something similar to unfold in Kismayu, with the militia striking from underground if it no longer controls the port and the town itself.
Kenyan forces, operating as part of an African Union effort to support the weak Somali government, entered the port town of Kismayu in a pre-dawn ocean assault dubbed Operations Sledge Hammer, said Kenyan military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir.
“Kismayu falls and under control,” Chirchir wrote on Twitter. “All forces in good shape and spirit.”
But it remained unclear how much of Kismayu the Kenyans actually controlled, and whether they were facing resistance from the al-Shabab fighters.
Also on Twitter, the Shabab militia said that it was fighting back against the Kenyan forces, and maintained that “the courageous mujaheen” were thwarting the invasion.
“Kismayu remains firmly in the hands of the mujahedeen, stay tuned for updates,” the militia wrote.
According to residents, Kenyan forces had taken control over the port, but not the entire town. “Al-Shabab fighters are on the streets and heading toward the front line in speeding cars. Their radio is still on the air and reporting the war,” Mohamed Haji, a resident, told the Associated Press.
If Kismayu does fall, it would represent a significant military and financial blow to the militia, which still controls large swaths of the countryside in southern Somalia. The town, especially its port, is a significant source of revenue to finance the militia’s activities.
The assault on Kismayu comes nearly a year after U.S- backed African Union forces, mandated to help Somalia’s transitional government, pushed al-Shabab out of the capital, Mogadishu.
Since then, the militia also has fled other towns, offering little resistance to the African Union forces, of which Kenya is now a part.
Kenyan forces entered Somalia last October, following a spate of kidnappings and assaults inside Kenya, including some that targeted Westerners. The crimes damaged Kenya’s fast-growing economy, particularly its tourism industry, one of its primary sources of foreign exchange revenue.
After marching toward Kismayu for nearly a year, Kenyan forces in recent weeks began bombarding the town from the ocean and by air, driving thousands of residents to flee, according to aid agencies.
As its control of population centers has shrunk, the Shabab militia has intensified guerilla attacks in Mogadishu in recent weeks, dispatching suicide bombers and assassinating government officials and journalists.
Many observers expect they something similar to unfold in Kismayu, with the militia striking from underground if it no longer controls the port and the town itself.