Washington, July 18 (DPA) US President Barack Obama condemned Friday the bombing of two prominent hotels in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta that killed at least nine people and injured dozens more.
“The American people stand by the Indonesian people in this difficult time and the US government stands ready to help the Indonesian government respond to and recover from these outrageous attacks,” Obama said in a statement.

“These attacks make it clear that extremists remain committed to murdering innocent men, women and children of any faith in all countries,” he said.

Two explosions, believed to be suicide bombings, rocked the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta Friday morning, killing nine and injuring more than 40 people.

At least eight Americans were injured in the blasts, but none were in critical condition, US State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said her department “is working to help American citizens injured in the blasts.”

Clinton began a week-long trip to the region on Friday, beginning in India. She was to attend a summit in Thailand next week of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a 10-country bloc that includes Indonesia.