国际英语新闻：Somalia leader vows to rein in local Islamist groups

MOGADISHU, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed on Friday pledged to rein in local groups saying his government would stop them from using the war torn country as a safe haven to launch attacks against other countries.

The Somali president was speaking to reporters at his Mogadishu residence after Friday prayers.

"The problem in Somalia is not confined to us but will affect the world as a whole. So, we cannot accept and our people would not accept that Somalia be used as place to cause trouble to the world," President Ahmed said at a brief news conference.

Islamist Al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for Sunday's deadly twin attacks in the Ugandan capital of Kampala which left almost 74 people dead and many more wounded.

The group said it carried out the attack against Uganda for its contribution to the African Union peacekeeping Mission known as AMISOM. Al Shabaab also threatened similar attack against Burundi, another African country which also has sent in forces to Somalia.

The Somali leader reiterated his condolences to the people and government of Uganda for the death and injury of the civilians who were viewing the FIFA World Cup final during the attack in packed venue in Kampala.

He attributed the ongoing violence and the extremist tendencies of local Somali group of Al Shabaab to foreign fighters in the ranks of the movement which, on several occasions, declared its allegiance to the global Islamist militant network of Al Qaeda.

The Somali President vowed to prevent what he called "foreign criminals" within the radical Somali groups continue causing problems in the East African country.

"We cannot allow criminal people who come from all over the world to kill and displace our people and force others to take part in the fighting against their will. That is our responsibility," said the Somali leader.

Following the deadly Kampala attacks there has been growing calls for more troops to be sent to Somalia to help stabilize the war-ravaged horn of African country.

Uganda which already has more than 3000 soldiers as part of AMISOM peacekeeping forces pledged to send 2000 more troops and promised to lobby for the force to be surged into 20,000 during the next AU summit due to be held in Kampala later this month.