"If terrorists think we will weaken in the face of their threats they could not be more wrong. Countries like Britain and America will not be cowed by barbaric killers. We will be more forthright in the defence of our values, not least because a world of greater freedom is a fundamental part of how we keep our people safe."

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will pledge further economic support to Burma, providing that the Burmese regime does more to protect ethnic groups and holds fair elections next year, during a visit to Berlin by President Thein Sein.

Nigeria and its neighbours have met to discuss the rapid advance of Boko Haram in the country’s northeast, amidst fears of increased regional instability.

Foreign ministers from Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger were joined by officials from the US, Britain, France, Canada, the African Union and the UN, in the one-day meeting, aimed at reviewing progress of earlier meetings, Nigerian officials said on Wednesday.

The meeting would examine "the extent of foreign assistance, including efforts by the Nigerian government, in the continued fight to … rout the Boko Haram insurgency", the Nigerian foreign ministry said, according to The Guardian.

Somalia has offered members of al-Shabab amnesty, a day after a US air strike, which may have killed the leader of the militant group.

Members have been given 45 days to surrender to authorities, in order to be reintegrated into society, a statement by the government said.

US troops landed at the site soon after the strike, which was targeted at the leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, and took away bodies after a fierce gun battle, reported the BBC Somali Service.