KISMAYU, Somalia - Somali government forces backed by Ethiopian troops, tanks and jet fighters edged towards the southern port town of Kismayu on Sunday to attack retreating Islamists who have dug in for a last stand.Mines laid by fighters of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) across the routes to Kismayu have slowed the advance of the government forces. That has bought the Islamists time to prepare their defences and rouse followers with vows of a holy war on the shores of the Indian Ocean. ‘We will fight the Ethiopians, God willing, we will remove them from our land,’ said SICC Kismayu area head of security Ahmed Ali from the frontline just north of the town.
| "I'll be right behind you guys! Honest!" |
Kenya has reinforced its northern border and US forces are also said to be in the region to prevent foreign militants aligned with the Islamists from escaping.
The Islamists are thought to have 3,000-4,000 fighters, including locals and foreign radicals, analysts say.
Ethiopia says it has 4,000 troops in Somalia, though many believe that number could be far higher. The Somali government has not given troop numbers, but is thought by experts to have several thousand.
A Somali government soldier said the attack would begin on Sunday night at the Islamists’ northernmost frontline in Jilib, about 45 km (28 miles) north of Kismayu on the coast. ‘The Ethiopians plan to shower the Islamist troops with artillery tonight until they run away. They then want to capture Jilib by tomorrow,’ the soldier told Reuters from the convoy. ‘We are now 30 km from Jilib.’
| Showering them with artillery is good. Knowing up front that they'll run is very good. |