Early suspicions fade as Somalis embrace KDF

By David Ochami in Damasa — south Somalia

When the Kenya Defence Forces swept into Damasa in southern Somalia in November, many residents fled into the hinterland fearing reprisals for supporting Al Shabaab, which had ruled here since 2004.

Then there were those who fled into the bushes fearing bloody resistance from the militants or its sympathizers, who still lurk in town or its outskirts to date, according to local residents and security officials.

This pattern of flight was repeated in Busar, a town almost 50 kilometres away, the minute the KDF and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces allies swept in. Today, KDF has fortified its hold on Damasa, a strategic town on the highway to Mogadishu, and Busar farther inland.

A KDF military doctor attends to a patient in one of the bi-weekly medical camps hosted by the Kenyans as a soldier from the TFG stands guard. [PHOTO: GEORGE MULALA/STANDARD]

Some of the locals’ fears were not entirely misplaced for no sooner had the KDF captured Damasa than the militia tried to attack the KDF base on the night they were ousted.

"They tried to retaliate the same night and we repulsed them," said Captain Alex Ngonyo.

Witnesses recount a few crucial minutes in which Al Shabaab’s attack crumbled within minutes as both sides exchanged mortar and RPG fire. A few days later, a band of militants crept into town in the dead of night to abduct a woman the Islamists accused of sympathising with the new Somalia National Army (SNA).

The woman allegedly resisted attempts to forcibly recruit her two sons into Al Shabaab. For her efforts, the militia fired an RPG into her house, which, luckily, did not explode. She, however, sustained injuries from the attack.

KDF determined that by attacking Damasa and its residents a second time, Al Shabaab’s intention was to probe its defenses. In response, KDF fired several mortar rounds, scattering the militants who fled into the night leaving behind communication equipment and sandals.

But SNA’s response was more ruthless, and the SNA commander is upfront about the kind of justice meted on suspected Al Shabaab collaborators. Major Abdillahi Mohamed Aden discloses readily that "some people were executed (by SNA) for carrying ammunition for the Al Shabaab" without giving details of the execution.

Firing squad

Some accounts indicate the execution by firing squad was done after a brief trial by SNA’s military tribunal in Damasa and the two victims buried in the local cemetery.

In many places where SNA is holding fort, strict rules have been imposed for gun crimes in an effort to instil discipline in the nascent force, and most violations lead to execution by firing squad.

In the initial stages of co-operation between KDF and the SNA, the TFG forces were notorious for firing into the air for no reason, a practice that compromised their own defences.

When The Standard visited Damasa, the town population was beginning to swell to its pre-war levels. Residents were returning largely attracted by the failure of the "massacre" Al Shabaab had predicted would follow the Kenyan arrival, and the humanitarian services provided by the KDF in the small town.

Before fleeing, Al Shabaab had announced that KDF were ‘infidel’ forces that had come to occupy their land. But when the KDF medical team turned for its bi-weekly camp at Damasa, a crowd of mainly women, the old and children formed.

Captain Ngonyo and Major Abdillahi admit when the town was captured, many people fled in fear.

"People thought we would torture them, but they have realised we are for their security," says Major Abdillahi, who estimates that Damasa and its outskirts now house close to 6,000 people.

According to Ngonyo, locals were suspicious when KDF swept in.

"Initially, there was tension. They thought we were targeting them. When they realised our mission was to help, they began to interact. The population is now increasing. When we came the population was small."

However, when walking through the dusty streets of the town, it is not easy to determine the residents’ attitude about unfolding events. As a result, the KDF never takes anything for granted.

On Christmas Day, for example, they were on high alert following intelligence reports of an attack on the local market or frontline.

Unsurprisingly, suspected militants tried to infiltrate a local Administration Police post in Kenya, which had first been attacked on November 6 killing a police reservist.

Shaved beards

And whenever KDF patrol the streets to search for arms, they do so in collaboration with the SNA. In areas they control, KDF often patrol towns in armoured cars and humvees and avoid unauthorised contact with the civilian population, a marked departure from past interventions in these parts.

The Kenyans do not drop their guard even when conducting medical camps because Al Shabaab is never far. One TFG soldier remarked "Al Shabaab is among these people; they have just shaved their beards".

And there is cause to be cautious here for when driving through town, one deduces mixed feelings from the people’s body language.

The boys often cheer and run after the Humvees (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) and pose for pictures while the men lean forlornly on their stools or sit back — expressionless or in anxious resignation —exhibiting a wait-and-see attitude.

Women hold onto their children as girls, shyly, retreat into the shadows.

A fledgling micro-economy is developing between KDF and the local community, which now feels confident to supply the Kenyans with water in exchange for medical supplies and food rations.

The SNA Major reports the militants have retreated to El Ade, a town, 70 kilometres east of Damasa where they are terrorising the people and confiscating camels and cattle in the name of zakat.

And according to Ngonyo, by capturing Damasa, the KDF denied the militants a safe haven and ability to attack Kenya with ease and raise money from taxation and extortion.

"At least we have blocked this route. The money Al Shabaab used to get from this place is no more."