London (dpa) – Britain and other European Union countries have considered the feasibility of airstrikes to tackle the twin threats of piracy and Islamist insurgency in Somalia, a British newspaper reported on Wednesday. The Guardian newspaper said the issue had been discussed by Britain's National Security Council (NSC) in recent months, but remained “on the drawing board for now.” The report comes a day ahead of an international Somalia conference in London, hosted by the British government. Prime Minister David Cameron, in an interview with the BBC on Wednesday, warned of the “real threat” posed by the Islamist al-Shabab group in Somalia. “The security threat is real, it is substantial. It is based on the fact that al-Shabab is an organization that has now explicitly linked itself to al-Qaeda,” Cameron said. There was a “very real danger” of young British Somalis having their minds poisoned by this organization, he added. “So there is a terrorist threat that is current today, and if we are not careful, could get worse,” Cameron warned. According to the Guardian, airstrikes against the group's logistical hubs and training camps had been discussed by the NSC, a kind of security cabinet that also brings in representatives of the armed forces and the intelligence services. Representatives from more than 40 governments and multilateral bodies, including the United Nations, are due to take part in the London conference Thursday. The gathering will attempt to agree an approach to resolving the political turmoil, improving security, tackling terrorism, and providing humanitarian aid. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/tPdk5 Tags: Al Qaeda, Attack, EU, Shabab, Somalia Section: East Africa, Europe, Latest News
