Dhobley – Brig. William Kamoiro has officially taken over from Brig. Jattani Gula as commander of the Kenya Defence Forces contingent serving with the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
The command handover ceremony took place on Friday at the ATMIS Sector II Headquarters in Dhobley, which is manned by Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF).
Brig. Gula supervised the eleventh ATMIS KDF contingent during his one-year tour of duty in Somalia, while Brig. Kamoiro will command the twelfth ATMIS KDF contingent.
The Outgoing commander commended his officers for their cooperation and commitment which enabled the contingent to carry out joint operations consistently and successfully with the Somali National Army (SNA) against Al-Shabaab militants.
“Throughout our stay in Somalia, we have implemented the ATMIS mandate by protecting the civilian population in major areas like Dhobley, mentoring Somali security forces and working with Somali security forces to conduct targeted operations to degrade the Al-Shabaab.” said Brig. Gula.
He noted that under his command, the Kenya ATMIS contingent had initiated several Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) projects to support several communities.
“We have done our best to win the hearts and minds of the population by providing medical assistance and supporting education. The Bilis Qoqani Primary School was a beneficiary,” added Brig. Gula.
The incoming contingent commander, Brig. Kamoiro said he will prioritise the capacity building of the Somali security forces, the phased handover of security responsibilities to Somali security forces and support peace and reconciliation efforts in accordance with ATMIS mandate.
“As a commander, my tasks include degrading Al-Shabaab through targeted operations across the sector by coordinating with Somali security forces,” said Brig. Kamoiro. He added that “I will support the Somali security forces to secure main supply routes and areas, and mentor the Somali National Army to be able to carry out security tasks”.