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| Africa Horn |
| AMISOM, Jubaland forces rescue Kenyans held by Shaboobs |
| 2014-04-12 |
| KISMAYO, Somalia -- AMISOM troops along with Somalia's Jubaland forces have freed two Kenyan nationals being held captive by Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group on Friday, Garowe Online reports. According to a press statement from African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the surprise operation occurred in the outskirts of border town and Lower Jubba regional district of Dhobley which is situated a few kilometers from Somalia-Kenya border. "James Kiarie Gichoi, working for aid agency Care International was kidnapped near the Dadaab refugee camp, while Daniel Njuguna Wanyoike, a driver's helper employed by Shibli Enterprises Ltd, a company contracted by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to transport medical supplies from Nairobi to Marerey, was kidnapped in Afmadow," the statement read. A facility run by AMISOM offered medical assistances to the two Kenyans before they have been flown to Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Speaking about the successful operation, The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to Somalia (SRCC) Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif felicitated the Kenya Defence Forces on the move. "Our mandate requires us to create a safe haven for aid agencies to carry out their operations and we are committed to ensuring the protection of aid workers as they deliver essential services to the Somali population," said Annadif. Al Shabaab lost battle against Somali government forces and AMISOM peacekeepers, with militants vacating a string of strategic towns in central and southwestern Somalia over the last six weeks. |
| Posted by:Steve White |