(SomaliNet) A total of three platoons have been deployed at border with Somalia following the outbreak of war in the horn of African nation since the year began. The Kenyan soldiers, who are being boosted by the Kenya Air Force, have been patrolling the border from Mandera in northern Kenya to Lamu, on the shores of the Indian Ocean.
Reports indicate that the soldiers drawn from the 1st, 7th and the 15th platoons of the Kenya Rifles are deployed at Amuma, Liboi and Hulugho in Garissa district. The three areas are key entry points for people fleeing from the fighting between the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) militia-men and the Somali Government troops backed by Ethiopian soldiers. The soldiers at the border have strict instructions not to allow either Somali refugees or militiamen from entering Kenya. The soldiers have been instrumental in keeping away the militiamen who have bolted from Somalia following their routing from Mogadishu and Kismayu. |