Car bomb targeting UN convoy explodes near Mogadishu airport
- 9 years ago
Originally published on February 14, 2014
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A car bomb detonated near the heavily guarded international airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday. The bomb targeted a U.N. convoy.
Reuters reports that the U.N. refugee agency convoy was hit by a remotely detonated car bomb on February 13th.
Two bulletproof U.N. vehicles traveling in a convoy along with Somali soldiers were targeted as they passed by an area near the Mogadishu airport on Thursday.
Reports are conflicting, with one source saying the explosive-packed car was remotely detonated, while another report claimed the car rammed into the U.N. vehicles and then detonated.
The explosion rocked the area, but the U.N. vehicles suffered only superficial damage and a U.N. spokesperson said none of its personnel were hurt.
At least seven Somali civilians were killed, while as many as a dozen others were wounded. Among the wounded were several of the security guards and soldiers that were traveling with the U.N. vehicles.
The radical Islamic group Al-Shabaab, which hopes to turn Somalia into an fundamentalist Islamic state, claimed responsibility for the attack but they disputed the facts of the attack and the death toll, claiming the attack was a suicide car bombing and saying the blast had killed three foreign U.N. employees.
Mogadishu's heavily-guarded airport is home to a new British embassy and also houses a large U.N. compound, although many diplomats live in neighboring Kenya due to safety concerns.
Last year, gunmen used a car bomb to blow a hole in the U.N. compound's wall and a subsequent gun battle killed 22 people, including some U.N. personnel.
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A car bomb detonated near the heavily guarded international airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday. The bomb targeted a U.N. convoy.
Reuters reports that the U.N. refugee agency convoy was hit by a remotely detonated car bomb on February 13th.
Two bulletproof U.N. vehicles traveling in a convoy along with Somali soldiers were targeted as they passed by an area near the Mogadishu airport on Thursday.
Reports are conflicting, with one source saying the explosive-packed car was remotely detonated, while another report claimed the car rammed into the U.N. vehicles and then detonated.
The explosion rocked the area, but the U.N. vehicles suffered only superficial damage and a U.N. spokesperson said none of its personnel were hurt.
At least seven Somali civilians were killed, while as many as a dozen others were wounded. Among the wounded were several of the security guards and soldiers that were traveling with the U.N. vehicles.
The radical Islamic group Al-Shabaab, which hopes to turn Somalia into an fundamentalist Islamic state, claimed responsibility for the attack but they disputed the facts of the attack and the death toll, claiming the attack was a suicide car bombing and saying the blast had killed three foreign U.N. employees.
Mogadishu's heavily-guarded airport is home to a new British embassy and also houses a large U.N. compound, although many diplomats live in neighboring Kenya due to safety concerns.
Last year, gunmen used a car bomb to blow a hole in the U.N. compound's wall and a subsequent gun battle killed 22 people, including some U.N. personnel.
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Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, ce