.... the personification of Somali state failure...
The new military stance was the centerpiece of President Kibaki's Madaraka Day speech on Friday in which he warned faceless myrmidons that Kenyans would never surrender to them.
The President's warning followed the most direct reference to the impending offensive by the Chief of Kenya Defence Force, Gen Julius Karangi.
Gen Karangi said Kismayu, a major source of financing for Al-Shabaab, would be taken before the mandate of the weak African-backed transitional federal government (TFG) ends on August 20.
"We continue to exert pressure on Al-Shabaab," said Gen Karangi, whose troops fighting in southern Somalia have joined the 11,000-strong African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
force in Somalia (Amisom).
"Kismayu... this target will happen before August when the TFG mandate expires," he added.
Kenyan forces this week took the Al-Shabaab stronghold of Afmadow to the South of Somalia while Ugandan and Burundian troops captured Afgoye to follow on their success in Mogadishu.
Addressing the public at Nairobi's Nyayo National Stadium during the 49th Madaraka Day celebrations, the Head of State said the government will hunt down and deal firmly with those threatening the country's national security.