The United States has sent a shipment of weapons and ammunition to the government of Somalia, according to a U.S. official who said the move signals the Obama administration’s desire to thwart a takeover of the Horn of Africa nation by Islamist rebels with alleged ties to al-Qaeda.
The shipment arrived in the capital of Mogadishu this month, according to the official, who is helping craft U.S. policy on Somalia and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issue’s sensitivity.
“A decision was made at the highest level to ensure the government does not fall and that everything is done to strengthen government security forces to counter the rebels,” the official said.
Still, the situation in the volatile nation continues to deteriorate. The government issued an urgent plea last weekend for foreign troops as the heaviest fighting in months engulfed the capital and other regions, killing more than 200 people.
The government also has tried to rally other foreign support, especially from the United States, which has long worried that Somalia could become a base for al-Qaeda to launch terrorist attacks such as the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Besides sending weapons, the United States recently committed $10 million to help revive the Somali army and the police. The United States has been sharing intelligence with the government, according to the U.S. official, and a group of Somali political leaders from various regions of the country have been invited to Washington to develop a strategy for fighting the rebels.
