Kenya, Tanzania mark 20 years since US embassy bombings

Kenyans and Tanzanians are marking the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaida bombings of the U.S. embassies in their countries that killed more than 250 people.

The explosions on Aug. 7, 1998, were the first major al-Qaida attack on U.S. targets. Nearly 5,000 people were injured.

The U.S. ambassador to Kenya, Robert Godec, says the extremists wanted to cause a rift between Kenyans and Americans but failed. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a separate statement says that “our partnership with our African allies remains stronger than ever.”

One survivor of the Nairobi blast, however, says hundreds of Kenyans are still pursuing compensation from the U.S. government. U.S. citizens and Kenyans working in the embassy were compensated.

Douglas Sidialo, spokesman with the Kenyan victims’ association, was blinded in the attack.