Kenya seeking US aid for attack on al-Shabab town

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya is seeking U.S. and European assistance to aid in its planned attack on a militant port town in southern Somalia, Kenya’s prime minister said Tuesday.

Raila Odinga said that Kenyan forces are preparing for a “final onslaught” on the Somali port town of Kismayo by August, when the U.N. mandate of Somalia’s transitional government expires. Kismayo is controlled by al-Shabab militants who get a significant portion of their operating expenses by levying “taxes” on the port.