Somalia, Kenya and Uganda pledge to defeat al-Shabaab rebels

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Source: The Guardian

The leaders of Kenya, Uganda and Somalia have vowed to defeat Islamist al-Shabaab rebels in Somalia, saying the region had a "historic opportunity" to restore security in a country that has come to be defined by its lawlessness.

A month after Kenyan troops pushed into neighbouring Somalia to fight the insurgents, concerns are mounting about the scope and purpose of the country's first cross-border military operation since independence in 1963.

Kenyan troops have made rapid territorial gains against the al-Qaida linked insurgents since they invaded southern Somalia on 16 October. But heavy rains have stalled efforts to defeat an enemy that can easily melt away into the local population and disrupt Kenyan supply lines.

The Kenyan president, Mwai Kibaki, met his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, and Somalia's leader, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, on Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/17/somalia-kenya-al-shabaab-uganda