Clinton seeks to bolster Somalia’s weak government
NAIROBI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Somalia’s president on Thursday, showing U.S. support for a fragile government that is battling militants including al Shabaab insurgents.
Australian police said this week they had uncovered a plot to attack a Sydney army base by men they said had links to al Shabaab, which Washington accuses of being al Qaeda’s proxy in the Horn of Africa nation.
Clinton said she would discuss with President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed how the world could help stabilize the Horn of Africa country, which Western security agencies say is a haven for militants plotting attacks in the region and beyond.
“We know we’re facing a very difficult conflict, and we also know that the presence of al Shabaab and terrorist elements within Somalia poses a threat,” said Clinton, ahead of the meeting, on the sidelines of a U.S.-African trade conference.
