The United Nations envoy for Somalia condemned the deadly attack on the Westgate mall in Kenya on Tuesday and called for extra effort to fight the Somali militant group al-Shabaab, which claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nicholas Kay, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Somalia, told a news briefing that the Westgate attacks showed the threat from al-Shabaab, which he said has some 5,000 members, was international.

He said despite the tragedy in Kenya, "in Somalia, at the moment we have the best opportunity we have had for a generation to assist that country to return to peace and eventual prosperity".

Security remains the number one challenge in Somalia while controlling and defeating al-Shabaab is key to this, he said. Efforts need to be redoubled, he added, which requires extra resources.

Xinhua

(China Daily USA 09/25/2013 page10)