Uganda hails Kenya on military operation in Somalia

Uganda has hailed Kenya's military operations in neighboring Somalia as a move to supplement the African Union peacekeepers to flush out Al-Shabaab militants from the Horn of African country. Crispus Kiyonga, Uganda's minister of defense, was quoted by the Daily Monitor on Monday as saying that the move will decimate the operations of Al-Shabaab, an Islamist group linked to Al Qaeda, a terrorist organization. "The decision taken by our sister country Kenya to join in the struggle to fight these militant Islamist is a good gesture because they are becoming a security threat in the region," Kiyonga said. Kenya last week sent hundreds of its troops into southern Somalia to flush out Al-Shabaab following a spate of kidnappings and killing of tourists. The East African country said the purpose of its operation was to protect its border and also help the Somali government fight the Al-Shabaab group. Uganda forms the bulk of the African Union peacekeepers deployed in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab members who have attacked Uganda before have promised similar attacks in Kenya if the country does not withdraw its troops. The outfit claimed responsibility of the July 11, 2010 twin bomb blast in the Ugandan capital Kampala that left over 76 people dead and scores of others injured.