Washington is extending military support for the government of Somalia to ward off the takeover of the Horn of Africa nation by rebels.

According to a Washington Post report published on Thursday, a shipment of US arms and munitions has been delivered to the central government in Mogadishu.

The White House move is indicative of a shift in the US policy assumed by President Barack Obama's administration toward the African nation, the Post cited an anonymous US official as saying.

"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.

The Somali government has welcomed the US aid amid a brutal civil war that has paralyzed the country and has left hundreds dead and thousands more displaced.

"We ask for and welcome any troops that can save this country from international terrorists," said Nur Ali Adan, the government's minister of religious affairs, echoing an appeal from the parliament speaker for Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Yemen to send troops.

Washington is concerned that Somalia may fall into the hands of rebel and terrorist groups and that it may be used as a launchpad for attacks against its interests -- similar to the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

RB/HGH/AA