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Mogadishu, Somalia, December 5, 2009 — The Somali
government on Friday blamed al-Qaida-linked Islamic militants for a
suicide bombing that killed 22 people in the capital, as government
officials buried three Cabinet ministers killed in the attack.
The bombing Thursday ripped through a university graduation ceremony at
an upscale hotel in Mogadishu, killing medical students, doctors,
journalists and three government ministers.
Somalia's most powerful Islamic militant group said it was not
responsible for the attack, but government officials said al-Shabaab
denied responsibility only because so many Somalis had been angered by
the bombing.
"The investigation is still under way to uncover evidence of who might
have been behind the attack, but we already know that this is the work
of al-Qaida through its affiliated group al-Shabaab, because of the
nature of the attack and the tactics used," said Security Minister
Abdillahi Muhammad Ali.
Al-Shabaab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said his group had nothing
to do with it and that "we are very sad about it." He blamed the
government for the bombing, an accusation vehemently denied by Somali
officials.
"Mogadishu residents are angry and al-Shabaab doesn't want to earn the
wrath of the angry population. The people here are on the verge of
revolt against them," Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle
said, explaining al-Shabaab's denial.
Gelle said that no Somali had ever become a suicide bomber to avenge a
clan dispute, but that many times suicide bombings had been carried out
"because of twisted religious beliefs."
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for past suicide attacks in
Somalia, and has never denied carrying out an attack. But militant
groups tend to distance themselves from bombings that kill large numbers
of civilians — attacks that could draw popular outrage.
The government buried the three Cabinet ministers killed in the blast,
holding a ceremony at a Mogadishu hospital heavily guarded by government
forces and African Union peacekeepers fearful that militants might try
to attack the proceedings. The president and prime minister of the weak,
U.N.-backed government attended.
Caskets for the ministers of education, higher education and health were
covered by the national flag.
"This is not Somali work. It is a newly imported idea to destroy Somalia
and prevent its people from having stability, peace and their own
government," said Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed. "We are
committed to making the dreams of our people a reality, and such
terrorist acts will never deter us."
The bombing of a graduation ceremony for medical students and other
graduates in a country that needs as many doctors as it can get drew
swift condemnation from around the world.
Islamic militants in Somalia have shown a rising ability to carry out
sophisticated large-scale bombings against high-profile targets. The
bombing also highlighted the inability of Somalia's weak government to
protect even the small section of the capital it controls.
African troops protecting the weak Somali government wage near daily
battles with Islamic militants who hold much of central and southern
Somalia. The government holds only a few square blocks in Mogadishu,
though that didn't prevent Thursday's suicide bomber from gaining entry
into the ceremony.
Several hundred people had gathered in the Shamo Hotel to watch the 43
medical, engineering and computer science students from Benadir
University receive their diplomas when the blast ripped through the
festively decorated ballroom.
The bomber disguised himself as a woman, complete with a veil and a
female's shoes. Amateur video of the attack obtained by AP Television
News showed the dead, including at least three journalists, lying in
pools of blood amid the sound of wails and screams from the wounded.
A statement issued by the U.S., U.N., European Union, African Union and
the Arab League also condemned the attack.
Somalia has been ravaged by violence since warlords overthrew dictator
Mohamed Siyad Barre in 1991, then turned on each other. A moderate
Islamist was elected president in January amid hopes he could unite the
country's feuding factions, but the violence has continued.
Suicide bombings, unheard of in Somalia before 2007, have become
increasingly frequent and the lawlessness has raised concerns that
al-Qaida is trying to gain a foothold in the Horn of Africa. The anarchy
also has allowed piracy to flourish off the country's coast.
Source: The Associated Press
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