Sec of State Hillary Clinton vows new US support for Somalia (254 hits)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has pledged to "expand and extend" American support for Somalia's weak interim government as it struggles against Islamist extremists believed linked to al-Qaida. Accusing the extremists of trying to turn Somalia into a base for global terrorism, Clinton said Thursday that the Obama administration would continue to provide military supplies and other aid to the government and support an African peacekeeping force on the ground. She did not give details of the new aid. After meeting with Somalia's president, Clinton also warned the Red Sea state of Eritrea that it would face penalities if it continued to support the Somali extremists.