African embassies mark 2nd anniversary of bombings

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Monday marked the second anniversary of embassy bombings that left more than 220 people dead and thousands injured.

The Nairobi bombing killed 213 people two years ago, and another 11 people died in Dar es Salaam.

Twelve American diplomats and 34 Kenyan employees were killed in the Nairobi explosion, while many more -- 167 -- citizens of Nairobi died as a result of the blast.

More than 5,000 people were injured in the two explosions, which went off nearly simultaneously on August 7, 1998.

VIDEO CNN Nairobi Bureau Chief Catherine Bond attends a memorial service held at the site of the bombing two years ago Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     MESSAGE BOARD U.S. Africa policy

Kenyan guards at the Nairobi embassy prevented a truck from entering the embassy, but the truck's driver set off the bomb in a rear parking area. In Dar es Salaam, a car bomber failed to get inside the embassy compound but set off a blast 35 feet from its outer wall.

A U.S. Embassy statement said 17 people have been charged in connection with the blast, but only nine -- six in custody in New York and three in Britain -- have been arrested. The others -- including Osama bin Laden, blamed by the U.S. government for masterminding both bombings -- are still at large.

The embassy said it has spent almost $9 million on medical and social assistance to Kenya since the bombing, and $29 million on aid to businesses affected by it. Two civil suits representing 2,000 victims or relatives of victims in Kenya and Tanzania have been filed in the United States for compensation from the U.S. government.

CNN Correspondent Catherine Bond contributed to this report.

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  •  The 1998 US Embassy Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania

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