U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nairobi on Monday August 22. The two discussed regional security and terrorism before Kerry met with the foreign ministers of Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, Deutsche Welle reports.

Two weekend car bomb attacks were reported in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland. The attacks on Kenya's neighbor to the northeast were claimed by the militant group al-Shabab and highlight the volatility in parts of East Africa. The blasts, which killed at least 20 people on Sunday, were swiftly condemned by the White House as "cowardly."

Somalia faces key parliamentary elections next month and a presidential election in October. Much of the country is still vulnerable to al-Shabab attacks.

Kenya has troops serving with the pro-government 22,000 strong AMISOM force in Somalia, which al-Shabab uses as pretext to mount attacks on Kenyan soil.