The government in late November sent a further 850 troops to the African Union (AU) mission in Somalia, which is defending the Somali government against a determined insurgency by Al-Shabaab. The troop deployment brought the AU mission's strength to 8,000 and came despite a renewed warning from Al-Shabaab earlier in the month that it would attack Burundi. No such attack has yet materialised, but the Burundian government claimed that it has already foiled several attempts and that the threat of a further effort by Al-Shabaab is "very high". Only Burundi and Uganda have been prepared thus far to contribute troops to the AU's Somalia mission, which is one of the most dangerous international military operations in the world, but which has earned the two countries valuable kudos and support from Western governments, and particularly the US.