Kenya, U.S. reaffirm commitment to war against terrorism

Kenya and the U.S. on Saturday reaffirmed their commitment on security cooperation and in the war against terrorism to help prevent future terror attacks in the East African nation.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Nairobi, U.S. President Barack Obama also pledged Washington's funding to help Kenya secure its borders against Al-Shabaab and other terrorists.

Obama who spoke after holding bilateral talks with his Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi said there has been extensive and effective counterterrorism coordination between the two countries, particularly in dealing with Al-Shabaab.

He said the U.S. will also share intelligence, which would be useful in preventing future attacks, as well as help with funds to combat radicalisation and for counter-terrorism training.

"Kenya and U.S. will continue to work jointly to degrade Al-Shabaab territory. We have to keep pressure on Al-Shabaab even as we strengthen Somalia government," Obama said and paid tribute to Kenyan troops fighting the insurgents in the Horn of Africa nation.

Kenyan authorities have blamed the militants for being behind spates of kidnapping of expatriates working in the sprawling refugee camps in the incursion-prone northern region and tourists in the coastal archipelago towns of Mombasa and Lamu.

The U.S. president who arrived in Kenya on Friday evening for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) said closer partnerships in dealing with terrorism by all nations has weakened the threat. Enditem