HOW THEY’LL TELL THE TALE OF KISMAYU’S CAPTURE.

KDF soldiers celebrate when they captured the port city of Kismayu in the year 2012.

In those days, the threat of terrorism was rife globally as thousands of innocent lives had been lost in various ghastly terrorist attacks worldwide. America, then under the leadership of the eloquent and youthful president Barack Obama, was spearheading the fight against international terrorism. The century saw a breakthrough in the fight against terror, with the killing of Osama Bin Laden, who was the leader of the deadly terrorism network Al-Qaeda. In Africa, the then lawless state of Somalia was infested with insurgents believed to have links with the Al-Qaeda, and they fronted various terror attacks in the continent.

President Barack Obama.

Osama Bin Laden.

Kenya, for sharing a border line with Somalia, suffered a great deal from her neighbor’s lawlessness. Tens of thousands of Somali citizens had fled into Kenya and settled in what was the world’s largest refugee camp. To add on to Kenya’s woes, the insurgents staged several attacks in various parts of the country including the capital Nairobi, attacks that claimed innocent lives. Resultant of these attacks was panic waves that gripped the nation prompting the stepping up of the country’s security operations. Citizens were subjected to thorough security checks in hotels, churches, mosques, shopping malls, social joints, offices and residential areas. 

Cognizant that its citizens deserved an assurance of their security, the Kenyan government, at the time led by President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, set out to seek a lasting solution to the anarchy in Somalia. That way, the negative effects which spilled over to Kenya would be nipped at source. In a bold move that shocked many, the Kenya Defence forces (KDF), were sent on an offensive against the Al-Shabaab militia in Somalia.

President Mwai Kibaki.

Prime minister Raila Odinga.

 On the 16^th of October in the year 2011, the KDF soldiers made a grand entry into Somalia, to kick start the operation that would see them rid the country of the menacing terror insurgents. Dubbed “Operation Linda Nchi” translated to English to read “Operation Protect Our Country”, the soldiers were able to capture many Somalia towns that were previously under the Shabaab rule. Slowly but surely, order was restored in most parts of the country as the insurgents lost their grip and control over many towns.

In those days, the world had been transformed into a global village with the advancement of information technology. It was very easy to know what was happening where via social networks of the time such as twitter and facebook. As a matter of fact, Kenyans, who still had some of the continent’s largest social media communities, would follow the progress of the war from these networks. The Kenyan twitter community was always abuzz as the KDF officials updated citizens on their progress via their twitter handle. Not surprisingly, even the Al- Shabaab militia had a twitter handle which they used mostly for gloating despite their imminent defeat by the KDF.

The operation to liberate Somalia from the Al-Shabaab lasted for nearly a year. It was characterized by fierce battles whose sights and sounds the world had previously only imagined and seen in movies. Unknown to many though, this was just the tip of the ice berg, as the soldiers were advancing further into enemy territory where imminent and unprecedented fierce battles awaited them. 

KDF Soldiers during the war.

With the assistance of the Somali National Army, the Kenya Defence Forces embarked on yet another daring mission; that of capturing the Al-Shabaab stronghold city, Kismayu. At this point in time, “Operation Sledge Hammer“was launched. Owing to the gravity of the mission that lay ahead, the soldiers figured that they would need a hammer in order to accomplish it.

What followed was an attack on the sea port city of Kismayu from the air, land and sea, much to the surprise of the insurgents. The operation, which had been top secret until its execution saw the soldiers finally capture Kismayu in the wee hours of the morning of 28^th September, the year 2012. This undertaking, which was an organized military landing through a combination of the land and naval forces, was pronounced a first of its kind in Africa.

KDF Soldiers descend on Kismayu from the Indian Ocean.

Somalia then moved to rebuild herself as well as her institutions which had previously been dysfunctional, following two decades of anarchism. Those that had fled their homes to seek refuge from war went back and helped re-build the country as we know it today!!