Somali terror group al-Shabab feared to be behind bombings that killed
64 people who were watching World Cup final
Staff and agencies
Monday July 12 2010
The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/12/uganda-bomb-blasts-kampala
Two simultaneous explosions ripped through the Ugandan capital,
Kampala, last night, killing 64 people who were watching the World Cup
final.
The deadliest attack occurred at a rugby club, where people were
watching the game between Spain and the Netherlands. The second blast
took place at an Ethiopian restaurant, where at least three Americans
were wounded.
One American was killed in the blasts, said Joann Lockard, a
spokeswoman for the US embassy in Kampala.
The city's police chief said he believed Somalia's most feared
militant group, al-Shabab, was responsible for the attack. Al-Shabab
is known to have links with al-Qaida, and it counts militant veterans
from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts among its ranks.
At least three Americans ? part of a church group from Pennsylvania ?
were wounded at the Ethiopian restaurant. One was Kris Sledge, 18, of
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
"I remember blacking out, hearing people screaming and running,"
Sledge said from the hospital. His right leg was wrapped and he had
burns on his face. "I love the place here but I'm wondering why this
happened and who did this ... At this point we're just glad to be
alive."
At the scenes of the two blasts, blood and pieces of flesh littered
the floor among overturned chairs.
Police Chief Kale Kaihura originally said at least 30 people had been
killed, though the toll could be higher.
Later, a senior police official at the scene said that 64 people had
been killed 49 from the rugby club and 15 at the Ethiopian restaurant.
The official said he could not be identified.
Kaihura said he suspected al-Shabab, that country's most hardline
militant group. Its fighters, including two recruited from the Somali
communities in the United States, have carried out multiple suicide
bombings in Somalia. If al-Shabab was responsible, it would be the
first time the group has carried out attacks outside of Somalia.
Simultaneous attacks are also one of al-Qaida's hallmarks. In
Mogadishu, Somalia, Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an al-Shabab commander,
told The Associated Press that he was happy with the attacks in
Uganda. Issa refused to confirm or deny that al-Shabab was responsible
for the bombings.
"Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry, makes us
happy. May Allah's anger be upon those who are against us," Sheik
said.
During weekly Friday prayers in Somalia two days before the double
bombing, another al-Shabab commander, Sheik Muktar Robow, called for
militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi two nations that
contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in
Mogadishu.
In addition to its troops in Mogadishu, Uganda also hosts Somali
soldiers trained in US and European-backed programs.
White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said the US was prepared to provide
any necessary assistance to the Ugandan government.
"The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life resulting from
these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and sends his condolences to
the people of Uganda and the loved ones of those who have been killed
or injured," Vietor said.
Kenya's foreign minister, Moses M Wetangula said last week that enough
veteran militants from the Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan conflicts
have relocated to Somalia to spark worry inside the international
community.
International militants have flocked to Somalia because the country's
government controls only a few square miles of the capital, Mogadishu,
leaving most of the rest of the country as lawless territory where
insurgents can train and plan attacks unimpeded.
guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010
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