“There was a targeted offensive against civilians and the SNA (Somali National Army) command centre in Kismayu by the AMISOM Section Two forces,” Mire said in a statement released late Sunday.
“Kenyan forces arrested and mistreated” the government army commander in Kismayu, he added, calling for his immediate release.
AMISOM’s sector two, the Kismayu region, is manned by more than 4,000 Kenyan troops, as well as a small force from Sierra Leone.
Restive Jubaland lies in the far south of Somalia and borders both Kenya and Ethiopia. Control is split between multiple forces including clan militia, Kenyan and Ethiopian soldiers and the Shabaab.
Rich in farmland, and possessing a lucrative charcoal industry, the region is also viewed by Kenya as a key buffer zone to protect its borders.
Kismayu has changed hands more than a dozen times since the collapse of central government in 1991.
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