The 2,000 American counter-terrorism troops stationed in Djibouti, on the Red Sea,  has sent some of its personnel to help keep terrorists from crossing in and out of Somalia. There has been no central government in Somalia for over a decade, and dozens of warlords are always looking for new sources of income. It is feared that some of these warlords are willing to work with terrorists. The American troops are helping the Kenyans with training, as well as security and patrolling techniques. The Kenyans describe the operations as, "hunting for criminals." The Kenyans are probably more interested it getting some help to keep Somali raiders and smugglers (sometimes it's hard to tell them apart) out. That's a problem they've had for centuries. The terrorist angle is new, and while some of the east African Moslems are involved in smuggling, far fewer are into terrorism. But al Qaeda is known to have supporters in the area, and some al Qaeda operatives have been caught.