Kenya
Kenya Says It Has Captured Last Islamist Bastion in Somalia
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: September 28, 2012
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan forces claimed on Friday to have captured Kismayu, the last major stronghold of the Shabab militant group in Somalia, which, if confirmed, could spell an end to the Shabab’s ability to control large tracts of territory and mark the beginning of an underground, and possibly just as dangerous, guerrilla phase.
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Omar Faruk/Reuters
Dozens of members of the Shabab Islamist group surrendered to authorities in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Monday.
Kenyan officials said their troops had staged a daring, midnight amphibious assault to storm the beaches of Kismayu, a vital port for the Shabab, with Somali allies in the boats alongside them.
“Operation Sledge Hammer executed as planned,” wrote Major Emmanuel Chirchir in a Twitter message on Friday morning. “Kismayu falls and under control.” He added: “All forces in good shape and spirit.”
Casting confusion over the outcome, the Shabab claimed not to have withdrawn and even bragged on Friday about destroying Kenyan armored vehicles.
“KDF cowards attempt to attack Kismayu from the sea but the courageous mujahedeen thwart their attempts,” said a message from a Shabab Twitter account late Friday morning (the two sides have fought pitched battles on Twitter many times before). “Kismayu remains firmly in the hands of the mujahedeen, stay tuned for updates.”
Residents in Kismayu said that the Kenyan troops were still a few miles outside the center of the city and that imams at several mosques were calling for volunteers to rally to the Shabab’s defense. By Friday afternoon, the African Union — which oversees the peacekeeping mission in Somalia, including the Kenyan troops — said that Kismayu was “surrounded.”
“We urge all fighters remaining in Kismayu to lay down their arms,” an African Union statement said. “We have assured them of their safety if they give themselves up peacefully.”
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, most of the Shabab fighters had been fleeing reluctantly, choosing to avoid a showdown with the much better equipped Kenyan military.
Controlling Kismayu has been of the utmost importance to the Shabab, because its port has allowed the militants to bring in weapons and raise money for operations by imposing fees on all sorts of goods. On Friday evening, one Kismayu resident said that the environment inside the town was “very tense” and that “we don’t know where to hide.” The resident, who did not want to be identified, said the Kenyan army was rapidly approaching but that the Shabab were still in control of the city center.
Some analysts predicted that once nightfall came, the Shabab would sneak away under the cover of darkness. Other analysts said that, if cornered, the Shabab fighters who remained in the town might stand and fight.
Kenya‘s invasion of Somalia is the most aggressive step it has ever taken against another country.
Kenyan officials said they needed to go into Somalia to protect their borders after a wave of kidnappings, and the first troops rolled in last year. But they have also acknowledged that Somalia’s relentless chaos was hindering Kenya’s fast-growing economy and that the invasion was a long-planned objective to secure the coastline and allow Kenya to move ahead with an ambitious, new, multi-billion dollar port on the Indian Ocean, not far from the Somali border.
It is not clear what may happen next. Setting up an inclusive, widely-accepted local administration for Kismayu will be crucial for any pacification efforts. But Kismayu has always been a tricky place to rule, with several powerful clans competing for influence and significant port fees to fight over. Even if the Shabab formally withdraw from the town, they have vowed to take their fight underground and use insurgent tactics, which they have done in the past, killing hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Just in recent weeks, the Shabab, who have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda, have assassinated government officials and several journalists in areas that Somalia’s fledging government had claimed were relatively secure. At the same time, Shabab fighters have been streaming back 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. Some analysts fear they could rebuild.
Many Somalis have a sense of déj* vu watching the retreat of the once formidable Shabab, who terrorized people by enforcing a brutal version of Sharia law, chopping off hands and stoning teenage girls. 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 fueled 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 insist they have learned from their mistakes and are now focusing on genuine political change to prevent militants from gaining popular support inside Somalia again.
Somalia’s government recently selected a new president, and donor countries, including the United States, are making enormous contributions in technical and financial assistance to help the Somalis deliver services and earn legitimacy. Still, clan militias seem to have gained sway in several areas of the country, including the territory around Kismayu. Historically, Somalia’s central government has enjoyed little support in the hinterlands.
The Kenyan military had been vowing for nearly a year to capture Kismayu, but its troops had been bogged down for several months in small, desiccated villages, leading many to ridicule the Kenyans and wonder if they would ever reach Kismayu. On Friday, Major Chirchir sent out another triumphant Twitter message: “We confirm, we not ceremonial soldiers.”
Mohamed Ibrahim contributed reporting from Mogadishu, Somalia, and Reuben Kyama from Nairobi
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