MOGADISHU, Somalia — Kenyan troops invaded al-Shabab’s last stronghold in Somalia on Friday, coming ashore in a pre-dawn beach landing at Kismayo that appeared likely to deprive the Islamist insurgents of their last big moneymaking enterprise.
African Union troops from Kenya, Uganda and Burundi have combined over the past 18 months to kick al-Shabab out of the capital, Mogadishu, and take a series of smaller towns that the insurgents fled to. By Friday afternoon, Kenyan Defense Forces said its ground troops also were steadily approaching Kismayo from the west. Al-Shabab, which is alliedwith al-Qaida, had earned money by collecting taxes on goods arriving at the Indian Ocean port, so the loss of the stronghold would be a double blow to the armed fundamentalist group that began attacks in 2007 and ultimately controlled all but a few blocks of the capital.
The assault is likely to send al-Shabab fighters underground. Hard-core fighters may unleash suicide bombs and ambushes but less dedicated fighters could melt back into their communities, further reducing al-Shabab’s strength. The African Union force said that some fighters have already contacted military officials in recent days, saying they wanted to defect from al-Shabab.
The assault rocks al-Shabab onto its heels and comes as the government is finally getting organized, having moved in recent weeks from a U.N.-backed transitional government to one in which the parliament, which itself was recently elected by elders, chose a new president. Last month, Somali leaders endorsed a new provisional constitution that expands rights for Somalis.
Residents in Kismayo said Kenyan troops had taken control of the port but not the whole city. Mohamed Haji said helicopters were hitting targets during the early-morning fighting. He said al-Shabab fighters moved to the front line to repel the assault.
Col. Cyrus Oguna, the Kenyan military’s top spokesman, said the surprise attack met minimal resistance and that al-Shabab incurred “heavy losses.” Al-Shabab denied that the city had fallen and said fighting was taking place. No casualties were reported for Kenyan troops.
Oguna said guns had been placed beforehand at a jetty and warehouse in Kismayo and that Somali national army troops participated in the assault.
An al-Shabab spokesman said on Twitter that the militants still control Kismayo.
“The enemy forces have launched a desperate attack on Kismayo this morning and the mujahedeen forces are resisting their attacks,” Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu-Musab said over the militants’ radio station in Kismayo.
Oguna said the assault is part of a four-prong attack involving Kenyan forces currently in villages outside Kismayo. The amphibiousassault landed between 10:30 p.m. Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday, he said, with some of the troops equipped with nightvision goggles.
African Union troops pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in August 2011, ending more than four years of control of the capital by the fighters. The Ugandan and Burundian troops that make up the bulk of the African Union force in Mogadishu have slowly been taking control of towns outside of Mogadishu.
Still, there are vestiges of the havoc that has reigned over Somalia since longtime dictator Siad Barre was ousted in 1991 by warlords who then turned on one another. One Somali journalist was killed by gunmen Friday and another was beheaded, officials and residents said, bringing the number of Somali journalists killed thisyear to 15. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the latest killings.
The expanding control by African Union troops sent al-Shabab fighters fleeing south toward Kismayo, north to other regions of Somalia and across the Gulf of Aden to Yemen. Al-Shabab still holds sway across many small, poor villages of southern Somalia. Al-Shabab lost another major source of financing last year when it was pushed out of Bakara market in Mogadishu, where - like at the Kismayo port - it also charged taxes.
A U.S. military spokesman, Lt. Cdr. Dave Hecht, said the U.S. Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, is closely monitoring the situation but “we are not participating in Kenya’s military activities in the region.” The U.S. has helped train and equip Ugandan and Burundian troops and helpspay and train members of Somalia’s military.
The march toward Kismayo by the Kenyan forces has been nearly a year in the making, with the soldiers bogged down by rain and poor roads for months. Kenyan troops entered Somalia last October after a string of kidnappings inside neighboring Kenya.
The commander of the African Union troops, Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti, said that more of the soldiers were headed to Kismayo to reinforce those that stormed ashore. He said the aim is to “liberate the people of Kismayo to enable them to lead their lives in peace, stability and security. Operations are ongoing to neutralize targets in Kismayo.” Information for this article was contributed by Jason Straziuso of The Associated Press.
Front Section, Pages 1 on 09/29/2012