Soldiers patrol the seaport in Somalia's southern port city of Kismayo in this handout photo taken and released by the African Union-United Nations Information Support team November 29, 2012. REUTERS/AU-UN IST Photo/Tobin Jones/Handout
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya said on Tuesday it was ready to hand control of the strategic Somali port city of Kismayu to a recognised leader, but warned that a chaotic exit would embolden al Qaeda-linked insurgents in southern Somalia.
Kenyan troops, as part of an African Union peacekeeping force, routed al Shabaab rebels from Kismayu in September but fighting flared up and dozens of civilians died as rival warlords have battled in recent weeks for control of the lucrative trade flowing through the city's port.
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