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Somalia: Islamists regroup in Arab world Thu. February 01, 2007 11:53 am.- By Mohamed Abdi Farah. - (SomaliNet) Jendayi Frazer, US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said on Wednesday that Washington believes that Somali's Islamist hardliners that were forcefully driven out of the country by government troops backed by Ethiopian military forces might reorganize themselves in Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and Yemen. Speaking to the Financial Times in Addis Ababa, Ms Frazer said it was too early to tell who among the Islamist leadership had survived Ethiopia's invasion last month and subsequent US air strikes on alleged affiliates of al-Qaeda. "It is going to take some time for the fog of war to clear up and we have an ability to see who is still operating and how they are operating," she said. But she was "very concerned" that extremists from among the defeated Islamists were "trying to reconstitute themselves either out of Saudi Arabia or Eritrea", and that international Jihadist networks would see this as an opportunity. "We have to reach out with the Saudi government and their services to try to prevent that from happening as well as engage regional talks." She said. Ms Frazer described Eritrea, with whom the US has deteriorating relations, as a "source of regional instability". The news comes as Al-Khaleej newspaper based in the United Arab Emirates reported the US ambassador to Kenya, Michael Ranneberger, was negotiating with Islamist leader in the Kenyan government custody over the release of 11 US soldier reportedly seized in southern Somalia. Ethiopia, the US's major ally in East of Africa, alleges that Eritrea supported hardline elements within the ousted Islamists by supplying them with arms, fighters and military advice. "Eventually Eritrea will see the limits of its actions to destabilize the Horn," said Ms Frazer. Ms Frazer said the key to ensuring Somalia did not provide a haven for international terrorist networks now lay with the Transitional Federal Government, which emerged from peace talks in Kenya in 2004. News Category: Somalia Latest Headlines Latest News East Africa threatened by soaring food prices-O... Somalia: 9 civilians killed by Ethiopian soldiers i... Nigerian drug trafficker beheaded in the holy city o... Nigeria: Militant group threatens to attack oil pipe... Philippines to send over 300 soldiers to Liberia for... Nigeria: 12 killed as petrol tanker burst into flame... U.S: Man shoots three people at community college <... Iran: Fresh nuclear talks could resume- says top offi... South Africa: UN boss plans to name SA judge for top... Asia: Jet pilot could face life in prison for ‘delib... More News...