Kenyan forces face Lower Juba rains
Heavy fighting between al-Shabaab against pro-government clan militias of Raskamboni, along with the combined Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops, erupted in the outskirts of Qoqani district in Lower Juba region on Saturday night.
Locals in Qoqani told Somalia Report that they can hear the sound of heavy gunfire and both sides using heavy weapons including artilleries and machine guns.
“I can’t give you secure news, since the fighting is still going on and no one can go out,” Muktar Haji Mohamed, a resident in Qoqani, told Somalia Report. “The fighting started about 9:00pm (1800GMT). I think al-Shabaab attacked the government base.”
Somalia Report will continue to monitor the situation.
Al-Shabaab fighters increased the hit and run attacks against Kenya and TFG over the last two weeks, while the Kenyan forces are claiming that they weakened the capability of militants.
Kenya military spokesman Colonel Cyrus Oguna held a press conference in Nairobi on Saturday and said that KDF and the TFG soldiers had managed to destabilize the 'gang' activities and operations in notable areas. “Look at what they have lost against what is left, and bearing in mind that their activities in these areas have reduced because of fear of attacks by KDF. In our own assessment 75 percent of revenue collection of Al-Shabaab has been disrupted,” he said.
Oguna stated that the militants have suffered severe losses including lack of funds, since several key commanders and financiers were killed over the recent fighting and airstrikes in southern Somalia.
“The local fighters are pushed to the war front, but they have not been paid for a while. Therefore the local fighters are feeling cheated. The commanders of the local fighters and the commanders of the foreign fighters are at odds over the loss of revenue, loss of command, and so you can appreciate where Al-Shabaab is now,” Oguna said.