The United States on Tuesday urged Somalia's Shebab rebels to let humanitarian workers operate unhindered, saying that the Al-Qaeda-inspired movement was a major reason for the country's hunger crisis.

The Shebab expelled foreign aid groups two years ago, accusing them of being Western spies and Christian crusaders. But the group recently said it would allow in relief, faced with the Horn of Africa's worst food crisis in years.

Johnnie Carson, the US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said that the United States was assessing if there was "real change" or if the Shebab planned to impose a form of "taxation" on humanitarian deliveries.

"Al-Shebab's activities have clearly made the current situation much worse," Carson told reporters. "Al-Shebab's current policies are wreaking havoc and are not helping Somalis living in the south-central part of that country."

"We call on all of those in south-central Somalia who have it within their authority to allow refugee groups and organizations to operate there to do so," he said.

The severe drought parching east Africa has left more than 10 million people facing hunger. Tens of thousands of desperate Somalis have been trying to flee their country to neighboring Kenya or Ethiopia.

Somalia has lacked an effective government for two decades. The United States has been alarmed by the Shebab's rise, with President Barack Obama's administration authorizing arms shipments to rival forces.

The Nation, a left-leaning US magazine, recently reported that the CIA has set up a secret counter-terrorism compound in Somalia as well as a prison inside Mogadishu. Carson declined comment on the report.

The UN food agency plans a meeting on the food crisis on July 25 in Rome. Rajiv Shah, the head of the US Agency for International Development, was en route Tuesday to Kenya to assess the US response.

Britain on Saturday promised �52 million ($73 million) in emergency aid, and Prime Minister David Cameron urged other nations to follow suit.

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