Somalia, Kenya’s Vietnam?

By Simon Allison, in the Daily Nation in Kenya:

Somalia may be Kenya’s Afghanistan

January 24, 2012

Kenya just doesn’t seem to get it. Lost in the minutiae of military detail, a Kenyan army colonel claimed they were at the halfway point of their mission to rid Somalia of Al Shabaab. Have they learnt nothing from Afghanistan? Iraq? Vietnam? Weapons don’t win wars any more, and until Kenya and its African allies figure out a political solution, Al Shabaab isn’t going anywhere. …

But this war is not just about military might. Iraq is a rather instructive example. War has changed in the last century and possession of the biggest guns is no longer sufficient to guarantee victory. America went into Iraq in 2003 with the most fearsome military this world has ever seen, effortlessly swatting away Saddam Hussein’s ill-equipped and poorly motivated army. But, as Bush was to discover, this conventional dominance couldn’t win the war and certainly couldn’t keep the peace.

From the Nairobi Star in Kenya:

15 Soldiers Killed in 100 Days

By Dominic Wabala, 30 January 2012

Two majors and four lieutenants are among 15 Kenya Defence Forces officers who have been killed in the last 100 days since Kenya sent its troops to Somalia. In their quest to take over Dhobley, Ras Kamboni, Beles Qooqani, Tabda, Amuma, Buale, Dheere, Oddo, Fafadun, Afmadhow, Afgoye, Jilib, Dinsoor and Bardheere, Kenyan troops have paid the ultimate price.

Afghanistan: NATO’s Lost Cause: Specter Of Defeat, Another Vietnam-Like Scenario, Looming Large: here.