Kenyan president meets US commander in Nairobi

ANKARA (AA) - Kenya’s president on Tuesday received commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) in the capital Nairobi, local media reported.

The meeting between Uhuru Kenyatta and Gen. Stephen Townsend was also attended by Kenya’s Chief of Defense Forces Robert Kibochi and US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter, according to daily The Star.

The meeting discussed ways to strengthen military cooperation between the two countries.

The US seeks to advance its national security and economic prosperity interests by helping Kenya’s economic stability, security, as well as health, education, environment, and combatting wildlife trafficking, the daily said.

The US, according to The Star, has four main security assistance objectives in Kenya, which are; Professionalize the Kenyan military forces, increase Kenyan counterterrorism as well as border security capabilities, besides others like increasing peacekeeping capabilities and maritime security.

The contents of the meeting were not revealed.

The meeting came amid a diplomatic crisis between Somalia and Kenya as the former on Tuesday announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with its southwestern neighbor Kenya, accusing it of violating Somali sovereignty and territorial integrity.