A contingent of British soldiers has arrived in Somalia to join the Kenya Defence Forces and other AMISOM troops in the battle against the Al Shabaab militia group.
The unit drawn from Force Troop Command, 1 Div and Field training arrived on Monday as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to counter the threat posed by the Islamist militants.
The group of 10 is among 70 troops expected to be deployed in Somalia this year, following a commitment in September 2015 by UK Prime Minister David Cameron at the UN Summit in New York.
According to UK media reports, the troops will offer medical, engineering and logistical support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The new development in the war against Al Shabaab comes a month after reports emerged that foreign Special Forces including the British SAS and Jordanian elite unit were secretly working with Kenya to beat the Islamist group.
Jordanian King Abdullah II Ibn Hussein had reportedly told US congressional leaders in January, that his Kingdom had resorted to collaborate with the British SAS in the fight against Al Shabaab.
“We have a rapid deployment force that will stand with the British and Kenya and is ready to go over the border [into Somalia],” the King said.
Al Shabaab is seeking to overthrow the Western backed government of Somalia and has been engaging AMISOM which constitutes forces from Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda in deadly combats for more than five years.
The militants have since been losing ground as more countries stage aerial and ground assaults against them.
