From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Sat Aug 22 2009 - 05:54:29 EDT
US Africa Command Chief Vows Support for Somali Government
By Alan Boswell
Nairobi
22 August 2009
The top general from the U.S. military's Africa Command, known as AFRICOM,
said on Friday that the rise of radical Islamist militant group al-Shabab in
Somalia makes East Africa a central focus of the U.S. military on the
continent.
General William Ward has pledged continued support to Somalia's transitional
federal government and the African Union forces operating there. He made
his remarks during a visit to Nairobi, Kenya, which is a key U.S. ally in
region.
The general said that al-Shabab's alleged link to international terrorist
group al-Qaida means that the region is a priority for AFRICOM on the
continent. The commander thanked Kenya for its ongoing partnership with U.S.
anti-terrorism efforts.
General Ward highlighted the U.S. military's support of the African Union
troops in Somalia and said that the United States would continue to offer
logistical assistance.
"The work being done by the African Union through its African Mission there,
AMISOM, is work we all support," he said. "It's work we will continue to
support. We have had roles in helping to train some of those AMISOM forces.
We have had roles in helping provide logistical support to the AMISOM
forces. And we would certainly look forward to continuing to do that as the
number of AMISOM forces continues to rise."
The commander predicted that the "stalemate" in Somalia between the
pro-government forces and rebel Islamic militant groups would be broken as
the number of AMISOM forces rises.
AMISOM is technically neutral in the conflicts between pro-government forces
and the rebel groups but has been accused of fighting with the
anti-government militias. AMISOM forces protect key sites in Mogadishu
including the airport, the presidential palace, and the seaport.
When asked about U.S. warnings to Eritrea against its alleged support of
al-Shabab, the U.S. general condemned any outside support for the Somali
rebels.
"Any time a nation or a state is purposely doing things that incite,
contribute to instability, insecurity - that is something that none of us
would agree with. And we would hope that any legitimate government, any
legitimate nation would in fact be doing otherwise," he said.
AFRICOM was created in late 2007 and formally activated a year later. The
new command structure oversees military relationships with all African
countries except Egypt.
The military command is based in Germany. Reports that AFRICOM headquarters
could eventually be based within the African continent have generated
controversy and some open hostility from African leaders. Liberia is the
only African nation to have publicly announced its willingness to host the
U.S. military African Command.
AFRICOM's official website describes its base in Germany as an "interim"
headquarters.
General Ward also used the visit to praise Kenya for accepting captured
Somali pirates that have plagued the waters off of Africa.
He said AFRICOM's role in the continent is to help friendly African
countries build their security capacities through mutual partnerships.
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