New KDF chief visits Somalia days after inauguration

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Barely a month after taking over as Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Robert Kibochi visited KDF troops serving in African Union Mission in Somalia, a symbolic trip that showcases commitment by his leadership to work closely with the team.

Accompanied by two bodyguards of Brigadier ranks and wearing Kenya Army combat fatigues, Kibochi visited four Forward Operating Bases [FOBs] within the AMISOM jurisdictions in Jubaland, in his first trip to the war-torn nation as a full general.

The last time he visited Somalia was in 2018 while serving as Kenya Army Commander, in the rank of a Lieutenant General. He would later be promoted to Vice Chief of Defense Forces and subsequently, took over the reign last month from Navy man, Gen. Samson Mwathethe.

On Saturday, Gen. Kibochi took the time to interact with soldiers deployed at Bilis Qooqani, Afmadow, Hoosingow, and Tabda Forward Operating Bases, KDF said, while in the company of Sector II Commander Brig. Paul Njema.

"On his 37th day as Chief of the Defence Forces, General Robert Kibochi visited KDF soldiers in Somalia operating under AMISOM. He met soldiers stationed in Afmadhow, Billis Qooqani, Tabda, and Hoosingow," KDF said on Twitter.

"His visit today motivated the troops and reaffirmed the critical role KDF soldiers operating under AMISOM play to provide sustainable peace in Somalia," added the statement, lauding the new chief for his commitment towards motivating the ground troops.

Such a trip is organized for more than two weeks where security is enhanced to protect the general from any possible harm, thus the strict protocols. He was flown in by a KDF helicopter that landed within the regions he visited, an insider said.

By next year in October, KDF would have served in Somalia for a decade. The troops invaded the region in 2011 in pursuit of Al-Shabaab militants, before being absorbed into the African Union Mission a year later.

Throughout their stay, KDF has managed to liberate several strategic towns in Somalia, among them Dhobley, Afmadow, Kulbiyow, and Kismayo, the regional administrative capital of Jubaland state. The 2012 Operation Sledge Hammer in Kismayo remains the most sophisticated, which saw the militants flushed from the seaport town.

But in the process, the Kenyan military has suffered numerous setbacks, including the unprecedented attacks at El-Adde and Kulbiyow army bases in 2016 and 2017 respectively. In both attacks, dozens of soldiers fell to Al-Shabaab, but Nairobi is yet to publish an official figure.

KDF has also been playing an integral role in serving civilians within its jurisdictions in Somalia, helping dozens of families to confront feminine and draught within the country. The team is set to officially exit in 2021 from the Horn of Africa nation.

But before that, KDF has set elaborate strategies for an exit, according to the War for Peace, a book unveiled last month by former CDF Mwathethe, which also covers the expeditions of KDF in Somalia in pursuit for peace.

Some of the pillars for exit include training a formidable Somali National Army [SNA] and enhancing a strong foundation within Jubaland state. The state, which has often caused rifts between Kenya and FGS, is used as a buffer zone in the fight against Al-Shabaab.

Also, KDF will withdraw to the border, where it is expected to protect the country from within. Along the border, the book explains, KDF will work closely with the local community besides introducing control centers which would help boost the security.

Just a fortnight before Gen. Kibochi's trip to Jubaland, the KDF team successfully foiled two attacks in which Al-Shabaab had targeted the Jubaland regional forces, who work closely with them in the struggle to liberate Somalia from the Al-Qaida linked militants.

The first attack was at Bilis Qooqani in which Al-Shabaab had surrounded the Jubaland military base, but KDF overwhelmed them, killing dozens. Days later, another attack at Dhobley base came under attack but KDF swiftly repulsed it, saving dozens of regional forces from the hands of Al-Shabaab.

Despite the militants remaining an existential threat to the quest for peace and stability in Somalia, they have been significantly degraded due to persistent airstrikes and ground combat operations conducted by SNA, AMISOM, and the US Africa Command.

GAROWE ONLINE