Bartamaha  (Nairobi):-Deadly bombings in Kampala claimed by the Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab is proof that the insurgent group poses a threat that requires an international effort, Somali’s embattled president said Friday.

“Somalia has never been in a worse state and the armed rebels are not only harming people inside Somalia but have also extended their brutal actions outside Somalia,” President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said.

“They need to be tackled and rooted out collectively,” he said during a press conference at his office in Mogadishu.

“We are all aware of the attacks they have perpetrated in Kampala recently. We don’t want Somalia to become a base for those aiming to wreak havoc not only in Somalia but also in other countries around the world,” he said.

The Shebab, who have been waging a fierce insurgency aimed at toppling the western-backed Sharif, claimed responsibility for July 11 blasts that ripped through crowds watching the World Cup final, killing at least 73 people.

The group, which counts several Afghanistan veterans among its commanders and whose leadership swore allegiance to Osama bin Laden, said the bombings were retaliation for Uganda’s part in the African force in Somalia.

“The international community has not done enough to stabilise Somalia in the past but we now expect it to help us overcome this problem,” Sharif said.

When he was elected in January, Sharif — himself a former leader of the Islamist movement that gave birth to the Shebab — was seen as the best chance for peace Somalia had seen in years.

But the young cleric has failed to bring the most radical wing of the country’s Islamists back into the political fold and assert his authority on the vast Horn of Africa country.

The Shebab have threatened more attacks if the African Union mission in Somalia does not pull out its more than 6,000 troops but Uganda reacted by pledging more soldiers and urging its neighbours to follow suit.

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Source:-AFP.

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