Mogadishu (Sunatimes) Somali president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Monday has said that Kenya’s military interventions in parts of Somalia are unnecessary.

The president made the announcement during his visit to the recently government seized areas in Daynile, on the outskirt of Mogadishu.

He said both his government and the Somali people disapprove Kenyan military deployment in parts of the country.

He said Kenya should not engage in any suspicious interventions that may raise public eyebrows.

He said every action by the Kenyan government inside Somalia must be approved by the Somali government to clear any doubts.

The president said Kenyan support in terms of training and logistics was welcome but his government and the people of Somalia were opposed to the presence of the Kenyan army inside Somalia.

He said unlike the Kenyan military that recently crossed the border into parts of Somalia, the AU forces in Somalia are legally in the country as they have the backing of the Somali people as well as the UN mandate.

President Sharif praised the Somali armed forces and the AU peacekeeping forces for their milestone achievement in defeating Al-Shabaab rebel fighters during the recent clashes in the area.

He said government’s offensives against Al-Shabaab are also underway in Lower Juba and Gedo region, saying that they achieved victory in their operations aimed at flushing out the rebel fighters from the region.

By Fadumo Farah