East African nations are showing growing interest in teaming up to prevent terrorist groups from taking root in the region, the U.S. commander of an anti-terror task force told The Associated Press. Governments are considering a U.S.-backed security partnership to share intelligence and training to fight terrorism, said Marine Brig. Gen. Mastin Robeson, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. The task force, set up in Djibouti in June 2001, is responsible for fighting terrorism in seven Horn of Africa countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, Kenya and Somalia. The impoverished, Islamic region is a well-established recruiting ground for terrorist groups and U.S. officials describe it as a critical theater in the war on terrorism. Full Story