The Kenyan military that it was getting help from international partners, but it wouldn't name who. All eyes were on the United States and France, but both countries .
Of course, the United States has been training Kenyan army for a long time and has been providing logistical support for them. The U.S. that it was sending unmanned drone aircraft into from Ethiopia into Somalia to conduct surveillance, but denied any involvement in the current operation
As for the African Union, there are about 9,500 AU forces (known as AMISOM) . So far they have no part in Kenya's operation, though the Kenyan government has said it will rely on AMISOM forces as well as forces from Somalia's Transitional Federal Government to maintain the peace once Kenyan forces eventually pull out.
So far the U.N. hasn't come out in favor for or against Kenya's military incursion. But there has been some grumbling among some U.N. agencies who are concerned that the Kenyan military operation to Somali famine and drought victims.
In the past, the U.N. has put embargoes on dealing arms to Somalia or Eritrea and they have put sanctions on individuals who are supporting al-Shabab.
Over the past several months there was every indication that al-Shabab was actually losing political support in Somalia. The famine and drought hit hardest in al-Shabab-controlled areas, and the group became unpopular from reaching those in need. There were also within the group that were tearing it apart.
That being said, al-Shabab actually gained a lot of support when it was fighting Ethiopian troops during the last decade. And now it's using a similiar campaign of propaganda, saying that Kenyan troops are violating the sovereignty of Somalia and that al-Shabab is there to defend the country against these foreign invaders. If that propaganda works and al-Shabab gets the support that it had against Ethiopia then we could see a really prolonged conflict.
Somalia has given mixed reactions about the incursion. The first couple of days the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) didn't even acknowledge that it was taking place, despite the fact that Kenya said it was working directly with TFG forces
Somalia's Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali later came out in support of Kenya's action, but the President, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, later . A regional analyst – while they agree on the need to confront al-Shabab, they are trying not to upset members of the parliament and the general public who are against anything that looks like an invasion of Somalia.
Kenya is said to have one of the best equipped militaries in East Africa and has worked closely with the United States and Britain for training and logistical support. As for the strength of the forces actually engaged in Operation Linda Nchi, the military are on the ground. One former Major told me there were 6,000 troops involved, and a U.S. Senator recently suggested 4,000, but there's been no confirmation. The air force is well-armed – and has deployed F-5 Tiger Attack jets and MD-500 helicopters.
But, Kenya also has never gone to war in another country (though they have been involved in African peacekeeping missions). The next closest military power is Uganda, which is already contributing the bulk of troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission in and around Mogadishu.
This is an interesting question. It is important to note that the Kenyan government has not accused Eritrea of arming al-Shabab – those allegations came from the Kenyan media after the Kenyan military said airplanes carrying weapons for al-Shabab had landed in Somalia. Eritrea had a legitimate complaint about these articles which merely quoted conversations on Somali internet sites. And they blamed Ethiopia for spreading rumors.
But at the same time, the United Nations did put out citing evidence that Eritrea had been supplying funds, weapons and training to militants in Somalia, in order to combat Ethiopia, and a lot of regional experts seem to agree that there is some truth to this.
Great question. Those regional organizations are really designed to serve as peacekeeping forces. Kenya will say its military offensive is much more of a direct war against al-Shabab. Kenya says it wants to incapacitate the group in order to secure the border and to protect Kenya.