US Committed to Helping Somalia Defeat Al-Shabaab Amid Airport Attack

Washington expressed readiness to help Somalia wrestle down terror groups such as al-Shabaab. On Tuesday, al-Shabaab militants detonated two vehicles in Mogadishu killing at least a dozen people.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States is determined to supporting Somalia in the country’s fight against terror groups including against the Islamic militant group al-Shabaab, US National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The United States stands squarely with Somalia and our partners in the fight against despicable acts of terrorism that seek to destabilize Somalia," Price stated. "We remain committed to helping Somalia progress along a path towards peace and prosperity and the defeat of terrorist groups, including al-Shabaab."

Earlier in the day, at least a dozen people were killed when two vehicles exploded on the way to a base for African Union peacekeepers near Mogadishu International Airport. According to media reports, al-Shabaab was behind the explosions.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack at the Mogadishu International Airport in Somalia on July 26," Price added. "Our condolences go out to the United Nations personnel, African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) soldiers, Somali citizens, and friends and families of all those who were killed and injured in this cowardly attack."

Somalia has been experiencing violence since the country devolved into civil war in the early 1990s. The state’s collapse provided a breeding ground for warlords, pirates and the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab. The group has been staging numerous attacks in Somalia in an attempt to create an Islamic state ruled by Sharia law.

The country's government has relied heavily on the African Union’s peacekeepers for protection.