Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers have undoubtedly made a good stride in liberating the war-torn Somalia.
However, leaders in Somalia are questioning the recent abandonment of a military base in the country by the KDF soldiers, saying the move will expose the country to Al-Shabaab threats.
The leaders say Kenyan troops started withdrawing from Somalia after moving out of Busar, KDF’s command centre in the northern sector of Jubaland, a town that was liberated in the first 100 days of their entry into Somalia.
On Tuesday morning, a contingent of troops made the final withdrawal from Busar. “Our people spotted the troops heading towards the Somali border. They destroyed their military base before leaving,” a senior politician from Gedo, who requested not to be named for fear of reprisals by both KDF and Somali security forces, said.
Busar is in Gedo region, where KDF recorded their greatest loss in history during the El Adde attack, in which about 200 soldiers died.
Mr Aw Hirsi, the Minister for Planning and International Cooperation in Jubaland, said that the withdrawal had left the people uncertain as to whether the departure of the Kenyans could secure the region lasting peace and tranquillity, or whether it could further land their weary souls into the hands of Al-Shabaab militants.
The KDF operated bases in Bardera, Busar and El Adde, all of which it has since abandoned. It also had forward operating bases FOBs in Taraka and Fafadun, from which it also withdrew.
The Kenyan troops withdrew from Bardera in September 2017, and it fell back into the hands of Al-Shabaab. The departure came just five days after it abandoned its base in Bardera.
On Tuesday, Department of Defence Spokesperson Bogita Ongeri and KDF spokesperson Paul Njoroge declined to respond to the media queries on what necessitated the movement of KDF troops towards the border.
A senior official in the Department of Defence, who cannot be named because he is not authorised to speak to the press, said that the move is classified, and that they are awaiting a brief from the military intelligence before making any public statements.