William Haskins
12-04-2009, 08:17 PM
A suicide blast at a university graduation in Mogadishu killed several Somali government ministers and an estimated 19 students, a sign of al Qaeda's efforts to establish the troubled east African country as a base from which to attack Western targets.
The bombing -- at an event representing the country's efforts to rebuild -- was a blow to the government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, whom the U.S. has hailed as the best hope for stability in Somalia after 15 years of chaos.
The chief suspect in the attack was al Shabaab, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that U.S. and Somali officials say has been receiving training from al Qaeda.
A recent influx of foreign fighters with al Qaeda connections has intensified fears of Somalia becoming a haven for global terrorism. The largely lawless country is already a haven for pirates, who have increased attacks on ships in a widening area off the East African coast.
On Thursday morning, hundreds of people had gathered in a hall at Hotel Shamo in Mogadishu to mark the graduation of doctors, engineers and others from Benadir University. Until last year, no medical students had graduated in Somalia for nearly two decades.
Toward the end of the ceremony, a blast shook the hall, filling the room with smoke and spreading blood and body parts. People began screaming and running for the exit, trampling the wounded as they fled.
Three Somali ministers -- of health, education and higher education -- were killed in the bombing, said Mohamed Ali Nur, the Somali ambassador to Kenya.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125983594130174329.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStor ies
The bombing -- at an event representing the country's efforts to rebuild -- was a blow to the government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, whom the U.S. has hailed as the best hope for stability in Somalia after 15 years of chaos.
The chief suspect in the attack was al Shabaab, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that U.S. and Somali officials say has been receiving training from al Qaeda.
A recent influx of foreign fighters with al Qaeda connections has intensified fears of Somalia becoming a haven for global terrorism. The largely lawless country is already a haven for pirates, who have increased attacks on ships in a widening area off the East African coast.
On Thursday morning, hundreds of people had gathered in a hall at Hotel Shamo in Mogadishu to mark the graduation of doctors, engineers and others from Benadir University. Until last year, no medical students had graduated in Somalia for nearly two decades.
Toward the end of the ceremony, a blast shook the hall, filling the room with smoke and spreading blood and body parts. People began screaming and running for the exit, trampling the wounded as they fled.
Three Somali ministers -- of health, education and higher education -- were killed in the bombing, said Mohamed Ali Nur, the Somali ambassador to Kenya.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125983594130174329.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLTopStor ies