United against terrorism

Somali government soldiers stand outside the ruins of the Jazeera hotel after an attack in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, July 26, 2015. At least four people were killed on Sunday when Somalia's al Shabaab Islamist militant group drove a car packed with explosives at the gate of a hotel, police and the rebel group said. A Reuters witness said blood and pieces of flesh were spattered around the site of the blast which targeted the Jazeera hotel. The wreckage of four cars were nearby. [Photo/Agencies]

The terrorist attack on a hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Sunday, which killed a Chinese embassy guard and 14 others, is a fresh reminder that terrorism poses a common threat to all and that countries need to work together to crack down on this evil force.

In a move to show support to the peace process in Somalia, China reopened its embassy in the African country in 2014. Chinese diplomats' efforts to fulfill their peaceful mission in Somalia and other risky countries such as Iraq, Libya and Syria in defiance of safety threats also embody China's sense of responsibility as an emerging power.

However, the attack shows the international community should pay more attention to the safety and stability of Somalia.

The terrorist attack has raised concerns that the Somali militant group al-Shabab, which has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, is escalating its activities in the violence-ravaged East African nation.

Despite the tangible achievements made by Somali troops and the peacekeeping force sent by the African Union to help fight extremist groups like al-Shabab, the restoration of peace and the rebuilding of security in Somalia remain an arduous task.

The latest hotel attack has aggravated concerns over the spread of terrorist forces in Africa, especially in the North African region. Some have even claimed that an "arc of terrorist forces" linking West, North and East Africa has already come into being.

Such a severe situation underscores the need for concerted efforts to fund and train anti-terrorism forces and for more information sharing to effectively curb the momentum of terrorism in Africa.

The above is an abridgement of a People's Daily article published on Tuesday.