By Patrick Vidija

Seven years ago, the elite Kenya Defence forces launched an offensive operation in Somalia’s Kismayo town against Al Shabaab.

The liberation of the seaport code-named Operation Sledge Hammer saw KDF launch both air, land and sea assaults to wrestle the group that had taken over operations at the port.

This operation, which was a defining moment for Kenya’s uniformed men and women, marked the turning point of Operation Linda Nchi that announced Kenya’s entry into Somalia to crash the Al Shabaab.

Kismayo is a port city in the southern Lower Juba province of Somalia.

It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.

The city is situated 528 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu, near the mouth of the Jubba River, where the waters empty into the Somali Sea.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, Al Shabaab scored military victories, seizing control of key towns and ports in both central and southern Somalia.

By January 2009, the group and other militias had managed to force the Ethiopian troops to retreat, leaving behind an under-equipped African Union peacekeeping force to assist the Transitional Federal Government’s troops.

In October 2011, a coordinated operation between the  Somali and Kenyan military began against Al Shabaab in southern Somalia.

The mission was officially led by the Somali army, with the Kenyan forces providing a supporting role.

Kismayo was regarded as Al Shabaab’s last major stronghold on account of the revenue that the group was able to generate for itself through exporting charcoal and levying port taxes on imported goods.

KDF’s offensive assault thus represented a major, morale-dampening loss for the rebel group that was forced to retreat with massive casualties.

The then KDF’s spokesperson (now government spokesman) Cyrus Oguna says capturing the city signaled the end of Al Shabaab because Kismayo was the bastion which financed their activities.

Seven years later, the small town with a population of about 190,000 people is slowly rising from the ashes of war.

This is a clear indication that KDF’s presence within the area under sector six has had a great impact on the lives of the residents.

Sector six is under joint operation of KDF and Ethiopian forces.

The exit reality

Despite the new breath, a sad reality of KDF planning to exit by 2021 has started taking shape.

So far the troops under Amisom have started gearing up on an exit plan that will see Somalia National Defence Forces take over.

According to the Commanding Officer in charge of the  infantry battalion in Kismayo, Lieutenant Colonel Meshack Kishoyian, Amisom developed operations guidelines that run between 2018-2021.

In the guidelines he said there is a clear breakdown on how the Amisom troops should operate towards a gradual handover to the Somalia forces.

Though the guidelines known as Concept of Operations (Conops) do not indicate an actual date when the troops exit in 2021, Kishoyian said they have already embarked on mentoring of Somali forces through joint operations that will see them take over.

“We are conducting joint offensive operations to degrade Al Shabaab. For now we ensure that Somalia forces are on front line as we support them to remain tactical and professional,” he said.

This he said is key to helping the Somali forces understand the scope of operations and the type of the enemy they are dealing with.

According to Conops the exit will be conducted gradually to allow a smooth transition.

“We are conducting our mission here in accordance with Amisom guidelines, our exit will depend on AMISOM’s assesment of how the situation will be. If they will advise we extend our mission then we are ready to undertake any assignment under the guidelines,” he said.

Top military commanders under Amisom in February met and agreed on key operations and activities to be executed under the Mission’s new Conops, approved late last year by the Military Operations Coordination Committee (MOCC).

The MOCC comprises of Chiefs of Defence Staff and designated representatives of Troop and Police Contributing Countries, the Federal Government of Somalia, the UN, development partners, and the AU Peace and Security Council.

They agreed that military activities which include targeted operations against Al Shabaab to flush them out of their hideouts, will be implemented in phases.

This is likely going to see the troops launch a Kismayo-like capture against Jilib which is the only remaining town under Al Shabaab.

“The activities will consist of comprehensive operations in support of the Somalia Transition Plan and will include stability operations targeting Al Shabaab hideouts and enhancing protection of population centres,” Simon Mulongo, the Deputy Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (DSRCC) for Somalia said.

The Somalia Transition Plan will be implemented in three phases.

Activities to be undertaken under the plan, includes the phased and conditions-based troops’ withdrawal and handing over of priority locations in Mogadishu to the Somali Security Forces, in the short term.

Degrading of Al Shabaab and securing main supply routes and support to the Somali National Security Forces as they take full charge of the country’s national security responsibilities will be priorities under the midterm and long term objectives.

Read more: The Star