Some 2,500 Somali troops have finished training in neighbouring Kenya and are ready to join a Somali government offensive against rebels, which control much of the war-torn country.

According to Kenyan officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the new recruits are only waiting their final assessments before actual deployment.

“The recruits have been trained well and they are expected to complete the trainings in the coming days,” said a former Kenyan military officer who was part of the trainers.

Sources say the recruits are aged between 20 to 25 years while the training was held in Kenyan town of Isiolo, located in the upper eastern region far from Somalia.

Kenyan Defence Minister Yusuf Haji said on late last year that his government was training Somalis in Isiolo, neighboring Samburu and somewhere in the coastal region.

“Our country is threatened by the Islamists and it’s our obligation as a country to help our friends (TFG) solves the 18 years conflict in their country,”

Kenya has refused to contribute troops to the UN-backed African Union peacekeeping mission, which is shoring up the weak government from the powerful insurgents.

Somali government, which also has soldiers trained by Uganda, Djibouti and Burundi, has already announced plans to flush out the insurgents from much parts of the country.

GAROWE ONLINE