|
Posted by
Olog-hai
on Sun Jul 11 23:13:33 2010, in response to WORLD CUP Thread, posted by SMAZ on Fri Jun 11 07:56:22 2010.
edf40wrjww2msgDetailOT:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Links to Somali Islamists are indicated.
Reuters
Uganda bombings kill 23, World Cup fans targetedBy Elias Biryabarema
Sun Jul 11, 2010 10:51pm EDTKAMPALA — Bomb blasts ripped through two separate bars packed with soccer fans watching the World Cup final in Uganda's capital Kampala, killing at least 23 people and signaling a possible link to Somali Islamists.
One American was among those killed in the bombings on Sunday and U.S. President Barack Obama, condemning what he called deplorable and cowardly attacks, said Washington was ready to help Uganda in hunting down those responsible.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings. Al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab militants in Somalia have threatened to attack Uganda for sending peacekeeping troops to the anarchic country to prop up the Western-backed government.
One bombing targeted the Ethiopian Village restaurant in the Kabalagala district, a popular night-life spot which was heaving with soccer fans and is popular with foreign visitors. The second attack struck a rugby club showing the match.
Twin coordinated attacks have been a hallmark of al Qaeda and groups linked to Osama bin Laden's militant network.
"The information we have indicates 13 people have died here at the Ethiopian Village and many others are injured and more than 10 people are reported to have died at the rugby club," Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura told reporters.
Reveling one minute in the closing moments of the final between Spain and Netherlands, the bombings left shocked survivors standing among corpses and scattered chairs.
"We were watching soccer here and then when there were three minutes to the end of the match an explosion came ... and it was so loud," witness Juma Seiko said at the Kampala Rugby Club.
Heavily armed police cordoned off both blast sites and searched the areas with sniffer dogs while dazed survivors helped pull the wounded away from the wreckage.
Police said it was possible those behind the attacks on the Ethiopian Village and the rugby club were targeting foreigners.
Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement from Mogadishu. That sparked the Islamist insurgency which still rages.
The U.S. embassy in Kampala said one American was killed in the bomb blasts. It was not immediately known if any other foreigners were among the casualties."EVIL-MINDED CHARACTERS"Uganda, east Africa's third largest economy, is attracting billions of dollars of foreign investment, especially in its oil sector and government debt markets, after two decades of relative stability.
But investors in Uganda and neighboring Kenya, which shares a largely porous border with Somalia, often cite the threat from Islamic militants as a serious concern.
"The information we have indicates the people who have attacked the Ethiopian Village were probably targeting expatriates," Kayihura said.
"We have evil-minded characters who have been warning us, like the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), al Shabaab and the Lord's Resistance Army."
The Lord's Resistance Army waged a two-decade war in northern Uganda before crossing into Sudan and further afield into central Africa. In May, Uganda said ADF rebels could be regrouping along the western border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Washington, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said Obama was "deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks."
"The United States is ready to provide any assistance requested by the Ugandan government," said Hammer.
A senior U.S. administration official said: "We are in contact with our embassy in Kampala and in touch with the FBI regarding government of Uganda requests for assistance."
On Saturday, Somali President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told Reuters he was worried by the growing number of foreign jihadists joining the ranks of Islamic insurgents and said they posed a growing threat to regional security.
Regional allies are preparing to send an extra 2,000 peacekeepers to Somalia, bringing the total number of African Union troops to around 8,100. Al Shabaab responded by urging Muslims to join a jihad and pledged to attack before being attacked.
(Editing by Richard Lough and Ralph Gowling)
|
