Leaders express shock at attacks on US

Leaders in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia expressed shock at Tuesday's attacks in the USA, when terrorists used hijacked planes to destroy the New York World Trade Centre and hit part of the Pentagon in Washington DC. Individual leaders condemned the attack and loss of life in messages of condolence to US President George W. Bush. Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki said he was shocked by the news of the "hideous terrorist attacks", and that Eritreans were "confident that the perpetrators of this appalling crime will be hunted down and punished". The Somali interim president, Abdiqasim Salad Hassan, said in a statement that he deplored "this cowardly terrorist action" which had led to "the tragic deaths of innocent American citizens". In a message to the US president, Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh said he was "profoundly shocked and deeply distressed by the series of terrorist attacks against the USA", which resulted in massive loss of life and huge material damage.