Kenyan forces that invaded neighboring Somalia Oct. 16 are advancing toward an expected showdown with Islamist fighters of al-Shabaab, which has links to al-Qaida, around the town of Afmadow, key to the insurgents' supply lines.
The Kenyans launched the operation with two battalions totaling 1,600 troops. They're now estimated to number around 4,000 regular troops, supported by several thousand allied Somali militiamen.
The CIA and the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command have recently intensified covert operations against both AQAP and al-Shabaab.
The Kenyan incursion undoubtedly supports that campaign by putting pressure on al-Shabaab and flushing out its leadership cadres who are the Americans' primary targets.
Meantime, the Kenyan advance seems to be slowing, apparently because of heavy rains as the monsoon season begins.
But al-Shabaab is reported to be digging in around Afmadow, indicating it plans to make a stand there to halt the Kenyan advance.
(from the article below)
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Keny...malia_999.html
Kenyans head for showdown in Somalia
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