Somali recruits trained for battle in Kenya

ISIOLO, Kenya (Reuters) - Thousands of Somalis have been trained in Kenya and are ready to join a Somali government offensive against rebels in the failed Horn of Africa state who have vowed loyalty to al Qaeda, security sources said on Friday.The international community and neighbouring countries are increasingly worried about the broader threat posed by hardline al Shabaab insurgents who control large amounts of territory and are battling the nation's fragile U.N.-backed government.Kenya has twice been hit by al-Qaeda linked attacks and while it cannot take part in the African Union peacekeeping in Somalia because it is a neighbour, the government has pledged to do what it can to prevent the chaos next door spreading.One former member of the Kenyan military contracted to train the Somali recruits in northestern Kenya said 2,500 troops just needed to complete their final assessments before deployment. "The training has been successful, tough. Some recruits were unable to cope. They left us with a strong team," the instructor told Reuters on condition of anonymity."They've been trained on combat skills, fire and manoeuvre, weaponry and general endurance to hardships by exposure to the rough terrain.," said the instructorKenyan Defence Minister Yusuf Haji told Reuters in December during a visit to Isiolo that the government was training Somalis both in Samburu and on the coast."Kenya has an obligation as any other member of the African Union to assist any other member country. We agreed and offered to train Somali security forces," he said.   Continued...

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