Statement on the 10th Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks Against U.S. Embassies in Africa,
August 7, 2008

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the Al Qaida terrorist attacks against U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. In Dar es Salaam, the terrorists killed 11 people and wounded more than 85 others; the blast in Nairobi killed 218 people and injured approximately 5,000. We remember today those who lost their lives or were injured in the attacks, their families, and their loved ones.

The attacks in East Africa are brutal examples of Al Qaida’s tactics in its war against innocent people worldwide, carried out in the heart of two African capitals without regard to the race, creed, or nationality of the victims. This has been Al Qaida’s method for more than a decade, indiscriminately attacking civilians throughout the world. The attacks in Kenya and Tanzania remind us that Al Qaida and its terrorist affiliates continue to want to attack the United States and our allies. This anniversary reinforces the need to confront the terrorists, to work with our allies to bring them to justice, and to prevent such attacks from happening again.