US condemns 'abhorrent' Mogadishu attacks

Washington (AFP) - The White House strongly condemned a spectacular bomb attack Sunday by Somalia's Shebab insurgents that killed at least six people just as President Barack Obama was leaving neighboring Kenya.

Kenya and Ethiopia, which Obama visited next, are both key nations contributing troops to the African Union force battling the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group.

"The United States strongly condemns today's abhorrent attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, which purposefully and cruelly targeted innocent civilians," National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

"Despite the very real progress Somalia has achieved in recent years, this attack is yet another reminder of the unconscionable atrocities that terrorist groups continue to perpetrate against the people of Somalia."

The suicide attack on a heavily guarded hotel in the capital Mogadishu was the latest in a string of bomb blasts and killings in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.

"The United States remains steadfast in our commitment to work with Somali authorities, our regional partners and the broader international community to bring an end to acts of terrorism and combat violent extremism in Somalia," Price said.

The Shebab are fighting to overthrow Somalia's Western-backed government that is propped up and protected by the 22,000-strong AMISOM -- the AU force in the country.