U.N. probes use of its vehicles in Somalia bombing

Reuters on Yahoo ^ | 9/19/09 | Frank Nyakairu

[NormsRevenge]

NAIROBI (Reuters) – The United Nations is investigating the use of its vehicles by suicide bombers who killed 17 African Union peacekeepers at their main base in Somalia, a senior official said on Saturday.

The Somali government warned on Friday that Islamist rebels from the al Shabaab group had six more stolen U.N. cars primed with explosives ready for suicide attacks.

"There are very large numbers of U.N. vehicles in Somalia that have been used for a variety of projects," Mark Bowden, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, told Reuters.

He said the United Nations had been given the chassis number of one of the vehicles used in Thursday's blasts. "We are trying to trace whether it's a U.N. vehicle," Bowden added.

President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed said the attack, which followed Monday's killing of one of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda suspects by U.S. special forces, would not deter his government and he called on the world to send it more help.

"The bombing was shocking ... I urge the world to help the starving Somali people," Ahmed told reporters in a news conference at his hilltop Villa Somalia palace on Saturday.

[K-oneTexas]

Like they are going to identify a culprit.

Will be an unsolved mystery or a cold case for eons.

[NormsRevenge]

Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed addresses a news conference in Mogadishu, September 19, 2009. The United Nations is investigating the use of its vehicles by suicide bombers who killed 17 African Union peacekeepers at their main base in the Somali capital, a senior official said on Saturday. President Ahmed said the attack, which followed Monday's killing of one of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda suspects by U.S. special forces, would not deter his government and he called on the world to send it more help. REUTERS/Omar Faruk (SOMALIA POLITICS CONFLICT)

[NormsRevenge]

Burundian peacekeepers from the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) drive to their base in an armoured personnel carrier (APC) in southern Mogadishu, September 19, 2009. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

[GrandmaPatriot]

IMHO, maybe they were stolen or more likely they were given to the suicide bombers.

[vimto]

Somalia was lost when the UN took an interest and the Ethiopian troops called off its persuit of the ‘insurgents’.

The usual story.

[Dallas59]

The “UN” is such a failure.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Hey!

I've got an idea. What if get the people to rat out the bad-guys by bribing them with real good food?

[K-oneTexas]

UN involvement back to the Kennedy days means failure or just plain falling short of the objective.

Not to mention the corruption, which is an entirely different aspect of a totally worthless organization.

[Bender2]

Maybe the UN can get ACORN to do the investigating for them... Afterall, they will have the time on their hands to do it.