Shabaab suicide attack kills 9, including senior African Union commander ( Somali )

Long War Journal ^ | September 17, 2009 3:29 PM | Bill Roggio

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Shabaab suicide bombers conducted a coordinated assault against an African Union peacekeeper base in Mogadishu. The deputy military commander for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was among the nine people killed in the attack.

The suicide bombers entered the AMISOM military compound in Mogadishu driving two white vehicles with United Nations markings, Reuters reported. The two UN-marked vehicles, which were looted from a compound in Baidoa, were followed by two truckloads of Somali troops.

"We thought they were real UN cars carrying white people, but moments later deafening thunder shook the ground," a witness at the compound told Reuters. "The area was covered with flames and clouds of smoke."

The drivers of the car "spoke English and identified themselves as being from the United Nations," Somalia's information minister said.

Shabaab had good intelligence on when and how to launch the attack. The attack took place as AMISOM commanders were meeting with senior Somalia officials at the compound, and the attackers entered the compound with ease.

The suicide attack resulted in the top two AMISOM commanders being killed or wounded. Major General Juvenal Niyoyunguruza, the deputy commander for AMISOM and the commander of Burundian forces in Somalia, was killed, while General Nathan Mugisha, the AMISOM commander, was lightly wounded, Mareeg reported.

Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia and East Africa, took credit for the attack and claimed it was launched in response to the US killing of a senior Shabaab leader earlier this week.

"We have got our revenge for our brother Nabhan. Two suicide car bombs targeting the AU base, praise Allah," Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage told Reuters. "We knew the infidel government and AU troops planned to attack us after the holy month. This is a message to them."

[cranked]

Bookmarked.

Will have to research a bit, but I am wondering if this is Shabaab’s first act of suicide terrorism. First I have seen reported, hmm.

[Zeppo]

The drivers of the car "spoke English and identified themselves as being from the United Nations," Somalia's information minister said.

Occam's razor: Maybe the suicide bombers were indeed from the United Nations, and the purported looting of the UN vehicles was just a ruse to ensure plausible deniability.

I'm only half joking - there's no good reason to give the United Nations the benefit of any doubt, is there...

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.