OTTAWA – With the world’s attention focused on fighting in Syria, Mali and Afghanistan, Canada has been quietly supporting the fight against Somalia’s al-Shabab militants — the group responsible for the weekend massacre at a shopping mall in Kenya.

The al-Qaida splinter group — which once controlled much of Somalia — had been considered to be on the run, thanks largely to the peacekeeping efforts of an African Union military force backed by the U.S. and other western governments.

African troops provided stability for the long-battered country’s transitional government, training for security forces and corridors through which humanitarian assistance was able to flow.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper calls it a complicated and dangerous part of the world, where Canada is working in close co-operation with neighbouring nations.

The storming of the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, which began on Saturday and lasted through the day today, left 62 dead, including two Canadians.

Kenyan troops were continuing to flush out the attackers, killing three gunmen and freeing several hostages.