对肯尼亚当局来说，此前已发生过一系列西方人被索马里青年军劫持事件，此次事件让他们忍无可忍；为了停止索马里青年军的侵犯，他们发动了这次军方领袖相信很快就可以结束的行动 ， 。
For the Kenyan authorities, it was the final straw after a series of abductions of Westerners by al-Shabaab; to stop the incursions, they launched what military leaders believed would be a quick campaign.