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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| US says weapons sent to Somalia | US says weapons sent to Somalia |
| (29 minutes later) | |
| The US has confirmed that it has sent weapons to Somalia's UN-backed transitional government. | The US has confirmed that it has sent weapons to Somalia's UN-backed transitional government. |
| The announcement follows an urgent call for military help from the government, which has been fighting Islamist militias accused of links to al-Qaeda. | |
| The insurgents control swathes of Somalia and US officials have been alarmed at their gains, analysts say. | The insurgents control swathes of Somalia and US officials have been alarmed at their gains, analysts say. |
| The US would also provide logistical support for training Somali troops, officials said. | The US would also provide logistical support for training Somali troops, officials said. |
| "At the request of that government, the state department has helped to provide weapons and ammunition on an urgent basis," spokesman Ian Kelly said. | "At the request of that government, the state department has helped to provide weapons and ammunition on an urgent basis," spokesman Ian Kelly said. |
| The unspecified quantity of arms would help the government "repel the onslaught of extremist forces which are intent on... spoiling efforts to bring peace and stability to Somalia", he added. | |
| Counter-productive? | |
| The US would also provide support for training Somali troops but would not conduct the training themselves, officials said. | The US would also provide support for training Somali troops but would not conduct the training themselves, officials said. |
| Last week the Somali government called for urgent foreign military assistance to help battle al-Shabab and its allies but Ethiopia and Kenya both declined to send troops. | |
| Mogadishu's lost innocents | |
| The US has previously backed several Somali groups fighting hard-line Islamist groups and carried out air strikes against alleged leaders. | |
| But Horn of Africa analyst Roger Middleton says the government's main military problem is not a lack of weapons, or men to fight. | |
| He told the BBC's Network Africa programme that government forces were formed from two main groups - those dating from the time of former President Abduallhi Yusuf and those who came with President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamist former insurgent who took office in January. | |
| Mr Middleton, from the Chatham House think-tank based in London, says the two groups do not work together very well. | |
| He also points out that the announcement could be counter-productive. | |
| "One of the charges by al-Shabab against the transitional government is that it is a stooge of the international community - it's hard to see how the public delivery of American weaponry will help President Sharif win the public relations war." | |
| Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991. | Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991. |
| Since 7 May, an alliance of militant Islamist hardliners has been locked in ferocious battles with pro-government forces in the capital, Mogadishu, forcing more than 165,000 people to flee their homes. | |