Kenyan Troops in Somalia Pursue Al-Shabab

Kenya has sent its troops into Somalia in an operation to pursue the dreaded Islamist militants, Al-Shabab suspected for recent wave of kidnappings on Kenyan territory.

Kenyan Government spokesman Alfred Mutua said its troops had entered into southern Somalia to pursue the Al-Shabab who it accuses of carrying out attacks on its territory.

Several foreigners have been abducted from Kenya and taken to Somalia by the Al-Shabab, dealing a major blow to Kenya’s tourism industry.

Two female Spanish aid workers were seized on Thursday by armed men from Kenya’s expansive Dadaab refugee camp. The refugee complex situated 100km from the border houses over 450,000 refugees fleeing drought in Somalia compounded by fighting.

Earlier, a British woman and a handicapped French woman had been abducted in separate incidents from country’s beach resorts.

The move comes after Kenya’s Internal Security Minister George Saitoti announced on Saturday that they would pursue Al-Shabab inside Somalia.

“If you are attacked by an enemy, you are allowed to pursue that enemy until where you get him. We will force them far away from our border,” said Kenyan Defense Minister Yusuf Mohammed Haji.

Witnesses in Somalia say tanks and armoured vehicles full of troops were seen fleeting through Dhobley town, as reports of military aircrafts raiding two of Al-Shabab bases in southern Somalia being confirmed by the militia’s officials. It was not confirmed whether the aircrafts were Kenyan.

In response the Al-Shabab has called Somalis in areas it controls to attack the Kenyan troops, saying that Kenya had violated Somalia’s territorial rights. Somali government officials have maintained that Kenya is only providing logistical and moral support to the Somali forces battling Al-Shabab on the ground.

The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabab has been fighting the UN-backed transitional government in Somalia to instill Islamic based rule in the country which has not have a fully functional government since ousting of dictatorial leader Siad Barre in 1991.

Many Kenyans have expressed fear of reprisal attacks by the Islamist groups if their government continues to involve itself in the Somali conflict. Over 70 people died in Uganda last year in July in a bomb attack claimed by the Al-Shabab.

Monrovia, Liberia

Liberians Head for Presidential Poll Run-off

Liberia’s opposition said on Sunday it is ready to contest in a second presidential run-off vote a day after it had rejected preliminary results in a joint statement terming it as flawed.

A group of nine opposition parties including that of opposition’s main contender Winston Tubman had asked the West African nations election commission to recount votes of the first-round of the presidential polls, claiming the country’s National Elections Commission (NEC) had fixed results in favour of incumbent president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Provisional results announced on Sunday from the 96 percent of votes counted put the newly awarded Nobel laureate on the lead with 44 percent ahead of Tubman’s 32.2 percent, followed by former warlord Prince Johnson who had 11.2 percent.

Despite her lead, Sirleaf could not be declared winner in the first-round vote since she remains short of the more than 50 percent majority required by law to win.

NEC’s chairman James Fromayah told journalists on Sunday that pressure from the nine political parties had made the NEC to reconsider declaring Sirleaf winner and a run-off will take place in early November given no candidate secured the required absolute majority win.

The NEC rejects accusations of fraud which the opposition parties claim they have evidence of manipulations, but international observers maintain having not seen any evidence of fraud so far.

Tubman who is running on a Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party is seen as the closest contender against Sirleaf of Unity Party who is seeking another six-year term after beating former soccer ace George Weah now Tubman’s running mate in 2005 polls.

This is Liberia’s first locally organised election which has attracted about 1.8 million voters, the initial one being run by the UN, since end of a 14 year-long civil war in 2003.