Kenya’s parliament has approved the integration of government troops in Somalia into the African Union (AU) force fighting militant Islamists.<\/p>\n
The decision comes after the AU last week asked Kenyan troops to join its 9,000-strong force in Somalia to battle al-Qaeda-linked group, al-Shabab.<\/p>\n
The AU has about 9,000 troops in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.<\/p>\n
Kenya already has troops in Somalia pursuing al-Shabab which it blames for a spate of recent abductions.<\/p>\n
Al-Shabab denies the allegation that it is behind kidnappings in Kenya and says it views the presence of Kenyan troops in southern Somalia as an act of war.<\/p>\n
The BBC’s Duncan Munene in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, says parliament’s decision shows that Kenya wants to be part of regional initiatives to tackle al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda.<\/p>\n
‘Untold suffering’<\/strong><\/p>\n The decision is probably also linked to government concerns about the rising cost of military operations in Somalia, our reporter says.<\/p>\n Kenya would now expect its operation to be financed by the AU or United Nations, he says.<\/p>\n The AU force in Somalia operates under a UN Security Council mandate.<\/p>\n Somalia’s President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed – a moderate Islamist – initially opposed Kenya’s intervention, but later supported it, correspondents say.<\/p>\n Last week, the AU Peace and Security Council said it had formally asked Kenya to join the AU operation in Somalia.<\/p>\n Kenyan military action in south-central Somalia – along with gains made by AU forces in Mogadishu – created an opportunity to end the “untold suffering” of Somalis, it said.<\/p>\n It also welcomed Ethiopia’s decision to support the AU-Kenyan military campaign in Somalia, the council said.<\/p>\n Last month, Ethiopia denied that its troops had returned to Somalia – about two years after they withdrew after suffering heavy casualties.<\/p>\n Reports said the troops were in Somalia’s Gurel town in Galgudud region and in several other areas as well.<\/p>\n Foreign military intervention in Somalia is intended to prevent al-Shabab from overthrowing the weak interim government.<\/p>\n Al-Shabab announced a “tactical withdrawal” from Mogadishu in August after fierce fighting with AU forces.<\/p>\n Kenyan troops have been active in parts of southern Somalia since October. Kenyan military spokesman, Maj Emmanuel Chirchir, said they intended to capture 10 towns under al-Shabab’s control – including the port city of Kismayo.<\/p>\n Djibouti and Sierra Leone have also promised to bolster the AU force by sending around 1,500 troops each.<\/p>\n AU commanders in Somalia say they need about 20,000 troops to hold on to territory captured from al-Shabab.<\/p>\n Somalia has not had a functioning central government for more than 20 years and has been wracked by fighting between various militias. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kenya’s parliament has approved the integration of government troops in Somalia into the African Union (AU) force fighting militant Islamists. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n