As the country marks the Kenya Defence Forces Day today, Major Eric Wambugu recalls the role the navy played in the historic capture of port Kismayu in Somalia in 2012.
October 14 was set aside to celebrate KDF soldiers’ gallantry and sacrifice in the line of duty as they selflessly took up the task of protecting the nation.
Wambugu, the Second in Command of the Special Operations Squadron in the Kenya Navy Fleet, narrated to the Star the role of his team in the offensive operation.
They conducted the attack under the code name Operation Sledge Hammer that saw Kenyan troops capture Kismayu from al Shabaab militants.
When the Kenyan troops launched the attack from the sea, land and air to capture the port city of Kismayo in 2012, Wambugu had been deployed as the officer in charge of the Special Boat Unit (SBU).
His unit was very crucial in the operation because they were involved in beach patrols and landing the Special Forces during the mission to capture the port.
He had to ensure all the special boats were 100 per cent ready for the assault.
“I was personally deployed as a boat officer with the role of ensuring that our boats were at 100 per cent as we embarked on the mission,” Wambugu said.
On the actual day of the final assault in Kismayo, SBU officers were divided into smaller units, with each boat heading towards the shores of Kismayo.
“SBU was conducting beach watch. This means that the head of your boat faces the beach, trailing your gun in a specific direction to maintain the security of the forces that are landing,” Wambugu said.
“In case of an attack, the SBU makes sure it is able to repulse the attackers.”
To ensure Operation Sledge Hammer was successful, there had to be synergy among the forces. The navy, army and airforce were involved.
Wambugu said he was involved in the joint training between the SBU and other special forces within KDF to make sure the teams acted in harmony in executing the mission.
“I was personally doing the joint training for our army special forces. We made sure they were comfortable to carry out the maritime tasks because they are usually specialists in land operations,” Wambugu said.
He made sure they were conversant with the maritime environment and how to offload and load gear from the ship to boats, drills and rehearsals.
“Synergy in short means that if you add the efforts of several teams, you get more because you get to assign each unit depending on its capabilities. Therefore, you achieve a great goal by combining the forces,” he said.
The SBU is good in maritime, the Army Special Forces Unit is specialised in fighting with good firepower, while the airforce with their aircraft in the skies have the communication ability and are able to see far and beyond.
Harmonisation was key to ensure the troops used the same radio frequency, password and code names.
“You assign each team according to their capability and then harmonise all the capabilities and ensure that they don’t clash with each other. No team comes in the line of fire of each other,” Wambugu said.
When the task was done, the teams involved did not believe that they had already captured Kismayu.
“Some of us thought we were having normal drills and rehearsals. To their surprise, the army troops had already landed on the beach and secured it,” he said.
He said they were happy to see the logistics ships offloading the vehicles at the port and the soldiers moving out.
“It was a joyous moment. I always recall that very day and I cannot stop talking about the successful operation,” Wambugu said.
CHALLENGES
According to Major Wambugu, there were some challenges during the training of the three units involved in the assault.
“We had to train them (other units) to make sure they were conversant with the maritime environment,” he said.
Launching and disembarking the gear and personnel from the ship into small boats while at the high seas was also a challenge given the intense waves.
“The weather was also a challenge and maritime conditions are not a walk in the park,” he said.
They also had to ensure that their communication did not leak to the enemy. The troops also had to harmonise the communication drill because they were somehow used to different call signs.
Edited by P.O
