Kismayu Victory, a KDF Achievement to Savor

It was pleasant to receive the news of KDF liberating Kismayu from Alshabaab militia. The fall of Kismayu was a major milestone in the Schematic plan, concept of operation for operation Linda Nchi even well before the Kenya troops joined ranks with their comrades from Uganda and Burundi in Amisom. This latest operational achievement apart from being a key element of Amisom’s operational plan is critical test that goes to validate operational potency of Amisom forces particularly the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) who are playing a lead role in the pacification mission in Somalia.

In commending the KDF following the capture of Kismayu, President Mwai Kibaki, and the Commander in Chief of the Kenya Defence forces (KDF) was overly excited from the choice of words in congratulating our gallant soldiers. The president statement read ““This is a game changer for the people of Somalia, it is a defining moment. A people long used to being subject of forces of terrorism that sought to engage in a siege mentality of extremism now have a good chance of restoring peace in their country, and engaging in productive economic and social opportunities,” Just a few days ago, President Kibaki while attending the annual High level debates of the United Nations General assembly IN New York, was a key participant in a mini summit on Somalia where he firmly reiterated Kenya’s commitment to resolving the daunting peace and security challenges facing Somalia for decades.

But while Somalia remains a global security topical issue, the gains made my Kenya defence forces goes further to redeem the image of our military force as a highly trained and disciplined organization capable of prosecuting complex military operation through practical strategic solutions. The complexity of plans to deal with amorphous enemy such as the Alshabaab cannot be gainsaid particularly when these enemy forces are disposed within built areas with real potential of collateral damage.

As the skeptical onlookers take time to believe our latest achievements, it is important for KDF and AMISOM in general to maintain the tempo of current military operations until normalcy is fully restored. The international community must now move expeditiously to exploit the situation to further the political process needed to entrench and support governance in Somalia.

In the meantime, being a veteran KDF, I want to congratulate our gallant soldiers for responding to the call, accomplishing Mission.

I have all the reasons to join the party in celebrating the liberation of objective Kismayu.

By Mohamed Adan Wato, Major (Rtd.). Mohamed Wato is a retired army officer, a practicing Security professional and a Mwakilishi.com contributor. He is the author of the book "Walking A tight Rope amidst Kenya Post Election violence".

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