U.S. delays Somalia aid, fears terror ties

DOCOL, Somalia, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Somalia is in desperate need of help that's being delayed partly because the U.S. government fears its aid is going to feed terrorists, the United Nations says.

U.N. officials say Somalia has not been in such perilous shape since the central government collapsed in 1991. But U.S. leaders are said to be concerned U.N. contractors may be funneling U.S.donations to the Shabab, a Somali terrorist group with growing ties to al-Qaida.

U.N. officials say the American government has been withholding millions of dollars in aid shipments to the African nation while new rules are worked out to better police the distribution of aid.

The United Nations told The New York Times at least $50 million in U.S. aid has been delayed as talks continue and only emergency food is on hand to last Somalia four more weeks.

The U.S. government is the largest donor to Somalia, providing about 40 percent of the $850 million annual aid budget, intended to feed more than 3 million people.