Kenya urges decisive action to defeat terrorism

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday vowed not to relent in the war against terrorism, saying bold and coordinated actions from international community were critical to eliminate violent extremism.

Kenyatta said the government is working with civil society, the private sector, neighbouring states, and the international community to counter violent extremism and terrorism.

He noted that no country was immune from the threat of terror hence the need for robust cooperation to conquer this menace.

Kenya this week hosted 330 delegates from 40 countries to discuss new and innovative approaches to counter violent extremism.

The regional countering violent extremism conference was a follow up to an earlier one hosted by the U.S. President Barack Obama in February.

Kenyatta said the conference has offered practical recommendations including the need to strengthen communities to ward off extremists, work with security agencies to root out terrorists and prevent radicalization.

"Security efforts are key to countering terrorists and protecting states and citizens. They must be complemented with other steps whose aim is to insulate young people from being recruited into radical groups," he said.

The East African nation has suffered from a spate of terrorist attacks from Somalia based militants Al-Shabaab. Endi