Ruto vows to ‘confront’ Al-Shabaab as terror group steps up attacks in Kenya

The President of Kenya William Ruto has vowed to “confront” the threat of Al-Shabaab militants as the terror group steps up attacks on Kenyan soil.

This comes as separate Al-Shabaab attacks in recent weeks near the Kenya-Somali border killed more than 30 people, majority of them security officials.

“We are very clear and we are going to send a very powerful message to Al-Shabaab that they are not going to reverse the gains that we have made in the last couple of years,” Ruto said.

He added, “The challenge of Al-Shabaab we have to confront it. We intend and have every chance to defeat al Shabaab.”

The alarming rate of Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya have led to rigorous meetings by Kenya’s security chiefs to plan counterattacks amid intelligence reports the militants are intending to carry out more attacks in the country having crossed the border in large numbers.

The Al-Qaeda linked group has frequently attacked Kenya in the past over the presence of the country’s troops in Somalia.

Kenya is planning to join other Somalia’s frontline states – Djibouti and Ethiopia – in sending more troops to Somalia in the coming weeks to help the Somali army liberate territories still under Al-Shabaab in the second phase of the offensive against Al-Shabaab.

It is not clear how such a move will affect the drawdown of African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops whose mandate is set to end in December 2024.