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| Kenya offers to boost AU force in Somalia | Kenya offers to boost AU force in Somalia |
| (about 6 hours later) | |
| Kenya is prepared to send troops to bolster the African Union (AU) force in Somalia to tackle militant Islamists, Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says. | Kenya is prepared to send troops to bolster the African Union (AU) force in Somalia to tackle militant Islamists, Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says. |
| Kenya launched military action in Somalia last month after blaming the al-Shabab group for a spate of abductions on its territory. | Kenya launched military action in Somalia last month after blaming the al-Shabab group for a spate of abductions on its territory. |
| Al-Shabab, which denies involvement in the abductions, has vowed to retaliate. | Al-Shabab, which denies involvement in the abductions, has vowed to retaliate. |
| The AU has about 9,000 troops in Somalia, but they are confined to the capital, Mogadishu. | The AU has about 9,000 troops in Somalia, but they are confined to the capital, Mogadishu. |
| Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, controls most other parts of southern and central Somalia. | Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, controls most other parts of southern and central Somalia. |
| Mr Wetangula told the BBC Kenya was prepared to beef up the AU force. | Mr Wetangula told the BBC Kenya was prepared to beef up the AU force. |
| "That is on offer. In case a request is made, Kenya will avail a few of its battalions [made up of about 1,000 soldiers each] to join Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti to help keep the peace in Somalia," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. | |
| "It's not difficult to do that." | "It's not difficult to do that." |
| Arab League talks | Arab League talks |
| The 9,000-strong AU force is currently made up of Ugandan and Burundian soldiers, with Djibouti and Sierra Leone expected to bolster its numbers to 12,000 by the end of the year. | The 9,000-strong AU force is currently made up of Ugandan and Burundian soldiers, with Djibouti and Sierra Leone expected to bolster its numbers to 12,000 by the end of the year. |
| The African Union says it would like to increase its numbers to 20,000 but so far, there have not been enough concrete troop offers. | The African Union says it would like to increase its numbers to 20,000 but so far, there have not been enough concrete troop offers. |
| Mr Wetangula said a 2006 UN Security Council resolution - which prevented states bordering Somalia from contributing to the AU force - had been changed a year later, making it possible for both Djibouti and Kenya to offer troops. | Mr Wetangula said a 2006 UN Security Council resolution - which prevented states bordering Somalia from contributing to the AU force - had been changed a year later, making it possible for both Djibouti and Kenya to offer troops. |
| Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki discussed Kenya's offer with his Somali and Ugandan counterparts - Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and Yoweri Museveni respectively - in Nairobi on Wednesday. | Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki discussed Kenya's offer with his Somali and Ugandan counterparts - Sheikh Sharif Ahmed and Yoweri Museveni respectively - in Nairobi on Wednesday. |
| Mr Wetangula has flown to Morocco to brief an Arab League meeting about Kenya's incursion into Somalia. | Mr Wetangula has flown to Morocco to brief an Arab League meeting about Kenya's incursion into Somalia. |
| Last month, President Ahmed publicly opposed the incursion, which Nairobi says is aimed at securing the long border between the two countries. | Last month, President Ahmed publicly opposed the incursion, which Nairobi says is aimed at securing the long border between the two countries. |
| Nairobi accuses al-Shabab of abducting several people from Kenya since September - including a French woman who suffered from cancer and who, French authorities say, has since died. | Nairobi accuses al-Shabab of abducting several people from Kenya since September - including a French woman who suffered from cancer and who, French authorities say, has since died. |
| Al-Shabab says it views the incursion as an act of war and it will take revenge by attacking Kenya. | Al-Shabab says it views the incursion as an act of war and it will take revenge by attacking Kenya. |
| Al-Shabab is locked in a battle with the weak UN-back interim government for control of the parts of the country which are currently outside its power, particularly Mogadishu. | Al-Shabab is locked in a battle with the weak UN-back interim government for control of the parts of the country which are currently outside its power, particularly Mogadishu. |