Somali Troops Enter al-Shabab's Final Stronghold - Will fighting finally stop here?

[No1]

Somali government forces have entered Kismayo, two days after militant group al-Shabab abandoned the strategic coastal city.

Witnesses confirm to VOA's Somali Service that government troops entered Kismayo on Monday and are taking control of former al-Shabab bases.

Residents appeared to welcome the troops. Some looting was reported after al-Shabab pulled out its remaining fighters on Saturday.

The Islamist militant group withdrew from Kismayo, its last major stronghold in Somalia, following an attack on Friday by Kenyan forces allied with the African Union.

The loss of the city is a major blow to al-Shabab, which used Kismayo's seaport to import weapons and raise money through taxes.

Johnnie Carson, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, warned that al-Shabab has been "effectively degraded" but not entirely defeated.

The militants have vowed to strike back from outside Kismayo.

Kenyan forces entered Somalia last year after a series of cross-border kidnappings that Kenya blamed on the militant group.

Al-Shabab has tried to overthrow Somalia's government and impose a hardline form of Islamic law in the country. The group once controlled most of southern and central Somalia, but had lost most of its territory in the past 18 months to pro-government forces.

The turn of events has raised hopes that a new Somali parliament and president, elected last month, can bring stability to the country. Somalia has endured more than 20 years of fighting and lawlessness since the fall of the last stable government in 1991.

I don't know much about what's going on there maybe @2Quik4UHoes and others can drop knowledge on the subject.

 

[Allah]

They are fighting a protracted guerilla war against an imperialist puppet government, large cities are not as important as they appear. Since large cities are a minority of the territory in Somalia, holding Mogadishu or Kismayo is largely symbolic. Like the article says, the largest loss here is in taxes. The closest equivalent would be Americans controlling Baghdad in Iraq or Kabul in Afghanistan. These territories are good to have, but the cost of defending them to the guerilla force, against a larger regular army, is simply not worth it. Its easier to withdraw and attack areas where the enemy is weaker.

This is just part of the regular ebb and flow

 

[Dusty Bake Activate]

I hope they don't kill Radamillz.

 

[Broke Wave]

I been waiting for this my whole life