Bomb blasts in Uganda kill World Cup fans...mkono wa Al-Shabaab?

[Nyaralego]

More related news. I stumbled upon this article...
Ugandan Police Discover Unexploded Suicide Vest

Alisha Ryu13 July 2010

Photo: AFP

Police officers display an explosive device on 13 Jul 2010, which was found in a black laptop bag at a club in Kampala's Makindye district on Monday

Police in Uganda have discovered an unexploded suicide vest - one day after twin blasts killed 76 World Cup fans in the capital, Kampala.

The head of Uganda's police counterterrorism division, Abas Byakagaba, says the unexploded vest was discovered Monday by a Kampala resident at a discotheque in the Makindye district.

Byakagaba showed reporters in Kampala a black laptop bag, which he says contained the vest and two large slabs of brownish-colored explosives material fitted with an electric detonator.

"What you see here are explosives, including the blue wires. Inside the brownish material are the ball bearings. Those are meant to accelerate the effect of the explosives. And here is the jacket, where all these materials are supposed to go," explained Byakagaba.

It is not clear why the bomb was left at the club. Police theorize that the would-be bomber may have changed his mind before setting off the charge. They also say the vest was designed so that it could be planted, rather than detonated by a suicide bomber.

Ugandan police chief, Kale Kayihura, says the police are studying the contents of the laptop bag for clues that might lead them to the men who planned and carried out Sunday evening's dual attacks.

"What we found here is consistent with what we found on both scenes of crime. So, this is a very significant lead in our investigation," said Kayihura.

At least four people are believed to have been arrested in connection with the bombings. The nationalities of those arrested have not been released, but Ugandan officials have hinted that one of the suicide bombers may have been a Somali.

Somalia's extremist insurgent group, al-Shabab, has claimed responsibility for the Kampala bombings, the deadliest in East Africa since the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.

The terrorists say the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda's refusal to withdraw its peacekeeping troops from Mogadishu. Al-Shabab has also threatened to attack Burundi, the other African nation that has peacekeeping troops in Somalia.

The African Union peacekeeping force has been a major obstacle in al-Shabab's efforts to take power in Mogadishu and turn the country into an ultra-conservative Islamic state.

Al-Shabab's leadership is composed of Somalis trained by al-Qaida in Afghanistan. But several-hundred foreign al-Qaida fighters are also believed to be in Somalia, acting as instructors for recruits and operational leaders. In recent years, al-Shabab militants have carried out suicide bombings in Somalia reminiscent of attacks blamed on al-Qaida affiliate groups in such places as Iraq and Pakistan.

Prior to Sunday, the group had never attacked outside Somali borders. Analysts say the bombings have firmly placed al-Shabab in the category of a "transnational terrorist group," significantly raising the security stakes in the region.

Find this article at:
Ugandan Police Discover Unexploded Suicide Vest | News | English

 

[babukijana]

The United States has already sent a team of Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) officials to assist the Ugandan authorities in probing the Kampala blast that killed 80 people and injured an almost equal number on Sunday night, 256news.com reports.

The FBI will assist in the investigation of the bombings, White House Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs, said.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama, called his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and expressed his sincere condolences for the loss of life and offered to provide any support or assistance that the Ugandan government requests.

"The leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to working together to combat terrorist organisations that threaten innocent civilians around the world," Gibbs said.

"We have today a three-person FBI team on the ground in Kampala collecting evidence," State Department spokesman, P J Crowley, told reporters at his daily news conference.
"Two Diplomatic Security officers will arrive later today to assist the Government of Uganda in its investigation, and we have an additional FBI team standing by in the US ready to assist if needed," he said.

US will continue to do everything in its power to assist Uganda in bringing the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, he said, adding that at least one US national died in this attack, while five others have been hospitalised.

The terrorist attack, he said, showed the "cowardice and destruction" espoused by Al-Shabaab, which used the celebration of the World Cup in Kampala to commit cold-blooded murder of innocent civilians.

"Al-Shabaab has made a public claim of responsibility. Obviously, the investigation itself is ongoing, but the preliminary information that we have, certainly would confirm that link," he said.

"In terms of the evidence that we are aware of at the attack scene would seem to suggest and confirm an Al-Shabaab connection," he added.

US is encouraged by the response of the Ugandan Government, he said.

"We have been very encouraged by what (Ugandan) President Museveni has told us. He has indicated to us that Uganda remains committed to the mission in Mogadishu, and that probably is the strongest retort to Al-Shabaab, that we are going to continue to support those who want to responsibly govern in Somalia and we will resist those who have a narrow, brutal, violent vision of the future in that country," he said.

Responding to a question, Gibbs said Al-Shabaab is a group that has made threats to the Ugandan people, and to the Ugandan government based on its support of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia.

"That is not to say that there's been a definitive conclusion on who is responsible, but this is certainly a group that has threatened Uganda in the past," he said.

From Agencies
source:256news

 

[Saharavoice]

US kwa nini isifanye kama ilivyofanya Iraq? au somalia hakuna mafuta au madini?

 

[kayundi2]

The Kenyan government has sent senior anti-terror detectives to Uganda to help the country investigate the Sunday night's blasts that killed 76 people and wounded more others. The local daily, the Standard, reported on Wednesday that the detectives left Nairobi on Tuesday hours after Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki pledged support to the neighbouring country.
"In the spirit of East African Community, we are in Kampala to help them and also know the mode used to commit the crime," the head of Anti-terrorism Police Nicholas Kamwende told the newspaper. "It should not be seen that Uganda is not capable to investigate the incident but a sign that we are together with our neighbours."
The suicide attacks on an Ethiopian restaurant and a sports club in Kampala left more than 70 people dead and the attacks came as those victims were watching on TV the World Cup finals between Spain and the Netherlands in South Africa.
President Kibaki, whose country has been hit twice by terrorists, on Tuesday condemned the barbaric act and assured his counterpart Yoweri Museveni of Kenya's support in bringing the perpetrators to book.
"I condemn this heinous and cowardly act which should only serve to strengthen our collective resolve to stamp out the evil of terrorism and promote a culture of peace and tolerance within our region," the President said.
"I pledge the full support of the government of Kenya in working together with your government to bring the perpetrators to justice," said Kibaki in a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.
The Kenyan detectives dispatched to Uganda will be joining a three-man team of detectives from America's Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) dispatched there to lead the deadly probe that has sent chilling waves in the East African nation and her borders.
Kibaki commended the country's commitment to the desire and struggle for peace through peacekeeping missions in Somalia.
The development came as senior security chiefs met in Nairobi late Tuesday to discuss the implications of the twin bomb blasts which ripped through crowds watching a World Cup final match in two social places.
The meeting was chaired by Nairobi Provincial Commissioner James Waweru and attended by district commissioners and divisional police chiefs.
Sources at the meeting said it was agreed that adequate security should be maintained in all parts of the city, particularly at social places and crowded areas like bus parks which are common targets of terrorists.
According to the Standard, the officers wanted to review security measures to deter any such acts in the city. Insiders said the meeting had been summoned to specifically discuss the threat of terrorism in Nairobi.
"Given there were substances like detonators found in Kampala, it was necessary to meet and chart the way forward," said a senior official, who asked for anonymity.
Sources said the meeting resolved to ask respective police commanders and social joints' managers to be vigilant.
"Kenyans also need to be careful to ensure suspicious characters are identified in time. Police cannot be all over," said the source, who asked not to be named.
Somali Islamist militant group, al-Shabab, a group with ties to al Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The group, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization, has repeatedly threatened further attacks on Uganda and Burundi, both of which have peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa nation, if the troops are not withdrawn.
Reports said a Somali's head was found at the scene of one blast, and he may have been a suicide bomber. The Ugandan authorities have also confirmed making several arrests in connection to the attack.
The Islamist militias including al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam have been battling Somalia's government since 2007 and now control most of southern and central Somalia, as well as parts of Mogadishu.
The twin blasts came two days after a commander with al-Shabaab called for militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi which have contributed troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.
Regional security analysts say the blast at the Ethiopian Village restaurant in particular has raised suspicions of al- Shabab involvement.
Ethiopia backs Somalia's government against the rebels. And Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement, stoking an insurgency that still rages.
About 5,000 African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi are based in Mogadishu propping up the fragile interim government.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) force is engaged in frequent firefights with the Islamist insurgents that control much of southern and central Somalia.



Daily Monitor:  - National |Five arrested as FBI agents jet in
Kenya sends investigators to help Uganda hunt for terrorists
Kenya sends investigators to help Uganda hunt for terrorists - GlobalTimes

 

[bona]

the only way to get rid of this problem is to destroy their base, vita pekee duniani inashinda kwa kukamata strategic base, kwa hawa watu strategic base ni ndugu zao tuliowahifadhi humu mitaani kwetu, zenji nawapongeza mgeni yoyote akinda yule mwenyeji wake mtaani ataulizwa moaka watu wamkubli kubaki apo kitaa ni mwenyeji wake amenguarantee kwa jamii, cha kufanya ni kuanza kuwafukuza wasomali wote humu mitaani ili hawa wanapokujua wakose pa kufikia kwa iyo chance za kuja ni ngumu au akija basi ni direct atakamatwa! border zetu ni porous sana sasa wanaingia na wanapata hifadhi, jamii ya kisomali ina deni kubwa kwa watu kwani mbona wachina hawaji kujilipua, mbona wabrazil hawaji kujilipua ni hao tu? kwa kuanza, tuache kushurikiana nao kibiashara, tusinunue bidhaa madukani mwao au mahotelini mwao tusile maana ndio wanaoletana na kupeana hifadhi, wameiaribu nchi yao sasa wanaikimbia na wanataka ni sisi tuwe kama wao, kama system zao za maisha ni nzuri kwa nini wasikae uko kwao! hata ulaya sas wanapata tabu sana na watu dizaini ii, wanaenda wamekimbia vita njumbani kwao wanapewa hifadhi kwenye jamii iliyostaarabika alafu eti baadae wao ndio wanajiona wanajua kuishi vizuri na kuwaona wenyeji wao si wastaarabu, they are ungodly! kwa nini wasibaki makwako wakaonyesha ustaarabu uo