Somalia's Al-Shabaab continues to cede more ground

Somali militants have slowed down the advance of the joint force of Kenyan and Somali soldiers to dislodge it from its key outposts, but have grown radically weaker 100 days since the launch of the military operation against it. With the Kenyan forces benefiting mostly from intelligence provided by prominent defections from the Al-Shabaab ranks and the group's finances radically diminished, expectations have been high the group might be on the last leg of its armed resistance. But the credibility of its opponents, the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) was also severely damaged after it failed to provide authentic photographs of a purported Al-Shabaab execution of a supposed spy inan off-the-battlefield information war. "We can assure Kenyans that we are up to the task," General Julius Karangi, the Chief of the Defense Forces, said during a visit to the Kenyan military camps in Southern Somalia. The visit followed by rapid exchange of fire between the two sides. The Kenyan operation code-named, Linda Nchi, has mostly enjoyed a solid public backing for its resoluteness in dealing with the threat of the Al-Shabaab on the economic, social and political interests of Kenya. However, the operation has been marked by a series of operational mistakes, including the once rampant fatal shooting and sinking of fishing boats operated by Kenyan fishermen returning from an expedition from Somalia. Kenya banned fishing on the Indian Ocean waters as part of an effort to starve Al- Shabaab fighters of a source of revenue soon after launching the military operation. Seven fishermen on two dhows were shot at and killed near Ras Kamboni in Kiunga, 15 km from the Kenyan border with Somalia, on suspicion that they were Al-Shabaab suspects helping to ferry supplies to the group. Austahi Abdul, a relative of some of the victims of the shooting incident, denied accounts by the Kenyan Navy that the boats were challenged to stop but failed to stop. "The boat was challenged to stop for identification but it continued to approach Kenya at high speed. Consequently, they were fired at," the KDF said. However, a survivor of the incident who swam to safety said the boat actually stopped for a search and was freed before the naval officers opened fire. Department of Defense (DoD) Operations Commander Colonel Cyrus Oguna said an investigation was launched to determine the true circumstances of the killings. KDF announced the setting up of the first investigating panel to look into the circumstances under which several Kenyan fishermen were shot and killed and their boat sank on suspicion that they were ferrying oil for the Al-Shabaab. "We have various officers of various competences who would carry out credible investigations and the report would be made public," Oguna said. In Ras Kamboni, one of the first towns to fall into the hands of the Kenyan forces, life has gone back to normalcy and the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) officials have been moving around town to set up institutions of governance. Amongst those governance institutions was the Court, previously used by the Al- Shabaab to sentence those failing to conform to the ideals of the Sharia Laws. Local TFG officials said the Al-Shabaab was dislodged from its vantage posts of power, from where it reigned terror, passing 15 days prison sentences for charges such as failing to wear full-face veils for women, smoking, alcohol and other misdemeanors. The Somali government officials turned the prisons into holding grounds for the Al-Shabaab combatants seized on the battlefields and accused the group of carrying out arm amputations for the crimes of stealing. "We have seen a more scattered Al-Shabaab and a more demoralized leadership at the top. This is an indication the resistance is crumbling," Oguna said. Airstrikes have mostly targeted Al-Shabaab's logistical hubs in key areas in an effort to force the militia group to weaken its hold on the port of Kismayu."We entered Somalia to destabilize Al- Shabaab. We will continue to pursue those equipment, logistical bases and their sources of funding..that is why they are ceding more ground to the KDF," Oguna said. Military projections are that the war is already half-way won with most of the operational targets hit and crippled and that the group's core commanders have been either wounded, captured and handed over to the Somali authorities. One of the group's top leaders, Sheikh Yusuf Dheere, was reportedly hit with a rocket fired from a Kenyan military aircraft, which cut off his legs. Al-Shabaab roundly dismisses claims by the Kenyan military of mass casualties from its ranks and at times blames the Kenyan military of claiming successful attacks on non-existent targets. But the Kenyan military insists as a professional military force, it is obligated to provide accurate battle assessments and inform the public of its operations. "The TFG and the KDF alliance have gained control. The important thing about this operation is the towns we have so far captured were the supply lines and the communication lines between the various segments of the Al-Shabaab, " Oguna said, noting the airstrikes in Central Somalia to secure the port of Kismayu. Oguna said strikes on the town of Garbahare, a strategic town used for the defense of Bardheere, the Gedo region's capital, had also put the group on a panic. "They (Al-Shabaab) want to defend Bardheere and risk Kismayu. It means they might not be strong.. there are just pockets of them delaying our advance," Col Oguna said. Top Generals are now forced to plan pacification missions into a larger area of Southern and Central Somalia, which also require massive humanitarian aid. "We doing door-to-door searches and we shall move from door-to-door and tree to tree search to get them wherever they are," Oguna said on Saturday. While under pressure, Al-Shabaab sympathizers have intensified their raids across the border into Kenya, targeting vulnerable security installations like Police outposts. The incursions have also been intended to target Kenyan government officials in an effort to win concessions for the Al-Shabaab's top leadership keen on dialogue. But recent diplomatic dispatches show a total rejection of any form of overtures by the Al-Shabaab to seek political negotiations with Ethiopia, the U.S. and the British governments declaring such would revive a group that is soon to be forgotten. Diplomats, the military and UN officials cite the internal political wrangling within the TFG as the most visible threat to keeping the victories so far against the Shabaab. The UN and the African Union agree that Somalia requires coherent military planning to ensure that the military gains are matched with political progress.