Kerry says Somalia 'turning around'
US Secretary of State John Kerry has made a landmark visit to Somalia and declared that the war-torn country is “turning around".
"More than 20 years ago, the United States was forced to pull back from your country," Kerry said in the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, referring to the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” disaster in which 18 US troops perished, forcing Washington to withdraw its forces from the Horn of Africa nation.
"I visited Somalia today because your country is turning around," said Kerry, who is the most senior US diplomat to visit Somalia since the deadly incident. "Now we are returning in collaboration with the international community and bearing high hopes - but also mixed with ongoing concerns."
Kerry's visit was aimed at providing a diplomatic boost to the Somalia government in its battle against al-Shabab militants.
"The next time I come, we have to be able to just walk downtown," Kerry said as he met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Mogadishu.
"Downtown Mogadishu is very different now than it was two years ago," Mohamud replied, claiming that security was steadily improving.
"We all have a stake in your success," Kerry said in a video message to the people of Somalia. "The United States is prepared to do whatever we can to help Somalia get the security, the prosperity, and the peace that you deserve."
A senior US state department official said Kerry’s visit "will send a strong signal to al-Shabab that we are not turning our backs on the Somali people and will continue to engage with Somalia until we bring al-Shabab terror to an end.”
Since 2001, the United States has been carrying out drone attacks in Somalia under the pretext of tackling terrorist groups. The aerial attacks were initiated by former US President George W. Bush but have been escalated under the Obama administration.
Washington claims that its airstrikes target militants, but local sources say civilians have been the main victims of the attacks. The United Nations has called the US drone attacks “targeted killings that flout international law.”
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