( CNN ) -- Kenyan troops are battling the Islamic extremist group Al-Shabaab in neighboring Somalia , westerners are being targeted at Kenyan tourist resorts and fears are high of terror attacks in Nairobi . What are the reasons behind the unrest and what is likely to happen next ? What is the source of the unrest ? A state of near-anarchy has existed in Somalia for more than two decades : the government has little authority , violent conflict has left thousands dead , and the country has recently been hit by a devastating famine . Pirates have taken advantage of the power vacuum to prey on vessels large and small off the country 's coast , but over the past few months , Al-Shabaab militants appear to have added a new tactic : kidnapping foreign tourists and aid workers in Kenya ( though some in Al-Shabaab deny involvement in the abductions . ) Al-Shabaab already generates tens of millions of dollars a year , much of it by controlling ports along the Somali coast , according to a recent United Nations report . U.N. report : Al-Shabaab is raising millions illegally in Somalia . How has Kenya responded to the kidnappings ? Responding to fears that foreign investors and tourists could be scared away , Kenyan forces last month entered Somalia , saying the kidnappings threatened security and constituted an attack on Kenyan sovereignty . Kenyan forces say they are ultimately seeking to take the Somali port city of Kismayo , described by the U.N. as a key stronghold and source of cash for Al-Shabaab . Fears grow over Somali pirates ' 'new tactics ' after kidnaps , killing . What has been the response ? The incursion has raised fears of reprisals with Al-Shabaab saying it considers it an affront to Somalia 's sovereignty . Last month ( October ) the U.S. Embassy in Kenya said it had credible information of an imminent terror attack on foreigners . The following day , twin explosions in Nairobi killed at least one person . Many worry the action will make Kenya less safe , not more so . Security analyst Rashid Abdi , from International Crisis Group , told CNN : `` There is a risk that while the argument for going in is to stop terrorism , the contrary could now be the case . Al-Shabaab will now have the pretext to strike Kenya . '' How likely is Kenya 's operation to succeed ? Any foreign intervention in Somalia is a big risk , say experts who point to recent history as proof , in particular America 's ill-fated `` Black Hawk Down '' mission in 1993 when U.S. forces tried to capture a local warlord - resulting in many deaths on both sides , Ethiopia 's U.S.-backed invasion that contributed to the rise of Al-Shabaab , and the African Union 's long and bloody campaign to control the Somali capital Mogadishu . `` If there is anything we have learnt in the last couple of decades it is that foreign intervention , especially military intervention , does n't work in Somalia , '' said Abdi . Kenya 's largely conventional army is being hampered by heavy rains and Al-Shabaab 's ability to melt into the background . However officials say their operation should be over within months . `` We do n't want to go off and get stuck in Somalia , '' Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua said . `` When the United States , Ethiopia and others went there , they were trying to support an existing government . Our main objective is just to go in , dismantle the Al-Shabaab and get out . '' What is the background to the unrest ? Somalia has known only conflict since the 1991 fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre , who had seized power in 1969 , nine years after independence from Britain and Italy . Meanwhile , as the EU tightened fishing controls in Europe , fleets from Europe and Asia -- many operating illegally -- moved into East African waters to fish . According to many reports , in the absence of any Somali navy patrols , those fleets plundered fish stocks , decimating the livelihoods of many Somali fishermen . Fertile territory for Al Shabaab in chaos of Somalia . Many of these destitute former fisherman `` took matters into their own hands , '' according to the African Development Bank , and turned to hijacking ships to make up for lost income . The new `` industry '' was quickly co-opted by the Somali warlords and is now an organized , hierarchical gang-like operation . According to academic William Jelani Cobb , `` Somalia is like Afghanistan in that we had a great deal of interest in the place during the Cold War and more or less forgot about it afterward . '' In an article written for CNN in 2009 in response to the kidnapping of an American ship captain , Cobb wrote : `` Part of combating terrorism means addressing the conditions in which it flourishes . Extortion and kidnapping on the high seas is certainly wrong , but by ignoring ... the threats to the regional food supply , we effectively created a niche for these pirates . '' Commentary : A lesson of Somali pirate attacks . How will the unrest affect the region ? With famine causing misery for millions in the Horn of Africa , the conflict between Al-Shabaab and Kenyan forces is likely to hinder humanitarian efforts . Even before the incursion , aid workers found it difficult to provide relief , according to Roger Middleton , consultant researcher on Chatham House 's Africa Program . `` If you 've got a big war going on , it 's difficult to distribute relief . Bombings only increase the risk , '' Middleton said , adding that discussions about access between aid workers and Al-Shabaab were unlikely to be eased by the conflict . How is the international community reacting ? The Kenyan government says the decision to attack was its alone . Key western allies such as the U.S. and the UK have been quick to state publicly they are not assisting in this action , though the French say they will help . In the region , Rwanda and South Africa have issued statements backing Kenya . `` The international community is being quietly supportive , '' Middleton said , `` but only because they have no idea what else to do . `` I 'm sure the U.S. and others have provided intelligence assistance , but there have been no overwhelming offers of support . Most governments believe sending troops into Somalia is not a good idea , but there is no plan B , apart from the status quo . `` Their reasoning is that Kenya forces could be stuck in Somalia for ages , or there could be an insurgent campaign in Kenya itself . It could go horribly wrong -- who knows ? ''
Somali pirates have started kidnapping foreigners in Kenya as well as hijacking boats . Last month Kenyan forces entered Somalia , saying kidnappings threatened security . Comment: Conflict is likely to hinder humanitarian efforts againsnt famine in the Horn of Africa .