The prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, has called for EU and US help for a ‘final onslaught’ on the main stronghold of al-Shabab in Somalia.
Odinga said Kenyan forces would reach the port town of Kismayo by August and said funds and troops were needed to dislodge al-Shabab.
The EU’s anti-piracy mission has up to 10 war-ships patrolling off the coast of Somalia and has a mandate to attack Somali pirates on land.
"Without controlling Kismayo, it's very difficult to completely neutralise al-Shabab," Mr Odinga told journalists in Nairobi.
"It has taken time because our forces felt that to move in otherwise would have cost a lot of lives, both civilian and military."
Kismayo is thought to be important to al-Shabab, as it is here where they get a significant amount of their income through taxing trade coming through the port.
Odinga also said he is intending to ask the US to fund the assault.
"If they can also bring military assistance so much the better, but for now we are talking about financial assistance," he said.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
