LONDON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Somalia presents a direct threat to British national interests because it's a breeding ground for radicalism and a failed state, the prime minister said.
British Prime Minister David Cameron during a foreign policy speech said Somali groups like al-Shabaab are poisoning the minds of his nation's youth. Westerners, meanwhile, are routinely abducted in the region while piracy in the Gulf of Aden threatens key trade routes.
"Somalia is a failed state that directly threatens British interests," he said. "We shouldn't tolerate this."
He said tacking the threat of piracy makes it necessary for British vessels to arm themselves in the region.
The British government last month announced it was spending roughly $7 million to fund a package of counter-piracy projects that complement naval efforts
"Somali pirates aren't invincible," said Cameron. "They are violent and lawless men in small boats and it is time we properly stood up to them."
Meanwhile, al-Shabaab is said to be consolidating its positions in southern Somalia in preparation for a fight with the Kenyan military. Nairobi sent its forces to the northern border following a string of kidnappings in the region.
