Somalia-Kenya - Kenyan troops battling the Al Shabaab militants have advanced on two fronts in Southern Somalia, after a fierce battle that left three militants, including a key Al Shabaab leader, dead and one Kenyan soldier wounded, a military spokesman said Wednesday. Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir, Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) Spokesman, said the Kenyan and the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops advanced on the town of Fafadun, South of Badheere in the Gedo region after a fierce battle.

“Out of the engagement, three Al Shabaab (fighters) were killed, 2 AK 47 rifles, three Browning pistols and three High Frequency radios were captured, one KDF soldier was slightly injured,” Chirchir said.

Al Shabaab leader in the Gedo region, Sheikh Hassan Hussein, was killed during the military encounter along with the two others.

Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia on a hot-pursuit of the Al Shabaab militia in October 2011 after a series of kidnappings of tourists and attacks on security installations in parts of northeastern Kenya.

The troops are currently advancing towards the port town of Kismayu several weeks after seizing the town of Burgabo, a key trade route for the Al Shabaab.k

Kenyan military operations commander Col. Cyrus Oguna says the ongoing operation has mostly destroyed the militia group’s main financial, logistical and tactical infrastructure, making the militia unable to carry out major operations.

But Ethiopian intelligence indicates the group, which was planning a name change to attract more attention from Muslims worldwide and funding, was using makeshift ports to ship supplies.

The Joint Kenyan and the Somali troops advanced from Busar Tuesday night.

The advance from Busar was the first major military move in the New Year, coming nearly two weeks after a high-level visit by the Kenyan military’s top command.

General Julius Karangi, the Chief of the KDF, said the military operation in Somalia was also to assure the Kenyans that the military was capable of undertaking the task of protecting the country from external aggression.

“The soldiers remain on high alert. They will remain on a much higher alert than before,” Gen. Kianga said when he visited the troops in Somalia late December.

Pana 04/01/2012