Nairobi-17,Dec,2011-(Berberanews)-Kenyan forces plan to carry out air strikes on Islamist rebel camps and vows to pursue al-Shabaab insurgents deep inside southern Somalia with air raids. Military information and operations officer Colonel Cyrus Oguna said they would target Afgoye, a town near Mogadishu and home to thousands of displaced people, as well as the ports of Merka and Barawe on the southern coast.
Col Cyrus Oguna said “We want to send a message to those living in areas that are close to al-Shabaab infrastructure to try and stay away from those infrastructures because we are developing them as legitimate objectives.” Adding that their attacks would “never relent” until “Kenya feels safe”
The Government of Kenya in pursuit of the al-Qaida-linked militants it blames for a series of kidnappings on Kenyan soil and frequent assaults on its security forces along its northern border with Somalia has agreed in mid-October to have its forces operate under the African Union Mission in Somalia, a 9,700-strong force made up of Burundian and Ugandan troops tasked with assisting and defending the weak Somali government.
Since launching an offensive against the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents two months ago, Kenyan warplanes have struck rebel bases mainly in the south.
