Kenyan troops off to war
The Kenya military has been ordered into action to stop al Shabaab militia from further threatening the country’s security and economy.
At a press briefing on Saturday, the country’s top security chiefs declared war on the terrorist organisation operating from Somalia and said Kenyan security forces will henceforth pursue the aggressors across the border.
“The Kenyan Government has decided to take robust measures to protect and preserve the integrity of the country and the national economy and security,” said a joint statement read by Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti.
He was accompanied by Defence minister Yusuf Haji. Military sources told the Sunday Nation that troops and military hardware had been mobilised to go after the rag tag militia across the border.
Army trucks
The Sunday Nation also learnt that a convoy of army trucks left Nanyuki for Moyale in the morning on Saturday, with the Engineering Unit based there also said to be headed in the same direction as another unit left for Wajir.
Additional war planes were deployed from the Laikipia Air Base to reinforce others that have been in the area for the past one week.
There were reports on Saturday evening that navy soldiers on patrol near Lamu had “taken out” two speedboats carrying combatants who defied orders to stop. (READ: Kenya's security forces on the spot after attacks)
A separate air attack on a village in Ras Kamboni not far from the Kenya-Somalia border thought to have been carried out by American forces was also reported.
Although Kenya’s armed forces are said to be among the most professionally run in Africa, they have never gone to war in the region and this will be the first time they will go after foreign combatants who have threatened Kenya’s territorial integrity.
The ministers said the movement of al Shabaab closer to the Kenyan border had brought with it the risk of terrorist attacks on Kenyan soil and asked citizens to be vigilant.
Prof Saitoti gave a chronology of provocative actions by the militia, including the killing of a tourist in Lamu, and abductions of tourists and humanitarian aid workers.
The minister said the government had taken specific measures to enhance security for its citizens and visitors. (READ: Kibaki warns external aggressors)
The steps include increased surveillance at the Coast and border points with special emphasis on tourist locations, additional boats patrolling the Indian Ocean and the adoption of a joint plan with hotels to enhance response to any threats.
Prof Saitoti said Kenya had a right to self-defence, adding that the Constitution and the UN Charter were clear on the defence of borders.
“We are ready to take any necessary action to preserve our territorial integrity,” Prof Saitoti declared.
He said the government had invoked Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which pronounces self-defence as an inherent right, meaning the country can do whatever is necessary to keep its borders secure.
“If you are attacked by an enemy, you have the right to pursue that enemy right where he is … they (al Shabaab) will be pursued,” Mr Haji said.
“The military is capable of dealing with any situation on the border. We are prepared to take you to go and see that the army is prepared to keep al Shabaab away from our border,” said Mr Haji.
The minister said Kenya plans to establish a homeland security outfit to better protect her interests.
Prof Saitoti said Somali refugees at Dadaab camp would be subjected to screening as there are suspected al Shabaab sympathisers residing there. There are currently 525,000 refugees in the camp, making it the biggest in the world.
“We have now closed the border, and we have no apology as far as that is concerned,” the minister said.
Intelligence officers were following up reports of Kenyan youth being recruited by the al Shabaab, which is said to have widened its operations base upcountry.
It is understood that the military intends to move into Somalia and create a buffer zone with the lawless country to avoid cross-border incursions by the militia that is linked to the al Qaeda terrorist network.
Military sources traced the upsurge in militia activity to August 12, 2011 when al Shabaab vanished from Mogadishu overnight, following a sustained assault by Unisom forces and those of the Somalia Transitional Government.
“Some of them moved towards the north but a majority moved southwards towards the Kenyan border,” the source said.
Since then militia members have been involved in attacks on Kenyan security personnel in Mandera and other border towns, including the abduction of two Kenyan soldiers.
The ministers spoke ahead of a meeting with the Defence and Foreign Relations Committee of Parliament tomorrow, which is concerned about the increased insecurity at the border.
Article 51 of the UN Charter says:
“Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security.
Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.”
Additional reporting by Mwangi Ndirangu
