In Kismayo town they hoot loudly, overlap, pick and drop passengers in the middle of the road causing nasty traffic snarl ups.It is hard to imagine this sea port city was ravaged by war some years ago. Businesses have gradually picked up and public beaches are filling up again.Only an encounter with the peacekeeping troops reminds one that beneath the veneer of tranquility, the enemy still lurks.Kismayo has a new airport named Sayid Mohammed Abdule Hassan Airport after a Somali liberation hero. On the way to the old airport that was abandoned after the Al Shabaab were flushed out, the streets are bustling with commercial activities.
Tucked inside a trench on a hill overlooking the breathtaking beaches of Kismayo, a five-man Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) combat unit keeps steady aim. One soldier’s hand is firmly on the trigger of the DShK, a heavy machine gun with a two kilometre shooting range. Another soldier keenly sweeps the distance with binoculars, while the rest, armed to the teeth, wait in position for any imminent threat. Beaches have come to define how wars are won, take for example the Normandy landings in 1944 by the Allied Forces- the largest seaborne invasion in history- which was decisive in liberating Nazi occupied France during World War Two. Seven years ago a similar battle took place when Kenyan and Somali forces launched air, land and sea assault to wrestle Kismayo from the Al-Shabaab.
The liberation of the seaport was code-named Operation Sledge Hammer and marked the turning point of Operation Linda Nchi that had announced Kenya’s entry into Somalia to crash the Al Shabaab. Lieutenant Colonel Meshack Sinkira Kishoyian, the Commanding Officer 2nd Mechanised Infantry Battalion based in Kismayo, underscores the importance of the liberation of Kismayo in keeping Kenya safe. Kismayo is located in Southern Somalia and is the capital city of Jubaland State. “Jubaland borders Kenya, if you secure it you are also keeping Kenya safe,” says Lt Kishoyian. The battle for Kismayo is still fresh in his mind. “We had some forces from the sea and others from the land converging and liberating Kismayo alongside Jubaland security forces. We overwhelmed the enemy who took off,” he says.
Kismayo is under sector six controlled by KDF, Ethiopian and Somali forces all under AMISOM. The operational area of Kismayo is divided into two subs sector: north and south. Kenyan troops control the old airport area and the seaport. Under an AMISOM plan of operations 2018-2021, Kenyan troops are mentoring their Somali counterparts ahead of gradual troop withdrawal from the country. According to Lt Kishoyian,the soldiers’ mission is to establish and maintain a safe and secure environment within which the Somali people can rebuild their lives. “Our mission is to support the Somalia security forces by conducting targeted offensive operations within Sector Six to disrupt and defeat Al Shabaab,” he says.
The troops are also working to degrade the Al Shabaab outside the environs of Kismayo through offensive operations. Major Justus Cheboi, a section commander at the old airport, says that their main duty is to secure the road linking the new airport and the old one that passes through Kismayo town. “Our main operational task here is to degrade the military capability of the Al-Shabaab and ensure that they are not active in our area of responsibility and to ensure the road is free from any harmful material like IEDs and any ambushes from the enemy so that United Nations agencies are able to deliver humanitarian aid to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within Kismayo town,” he says.
