UGANDA: Blast kills at least 64, army suspects Somali militants

Record ID: 352475

  • Title: UGANDA: Blast kills at least 64, army suspects Somali militants
  • Date: 13th July 2010
  • Summary: KAMPALA, UGANDA (JULY 12, 2010) (REUTERS) ROAD AT RUGBY CLUB BLAST SITE CLOSED OFF BY POLICE VARIOUS OF POLICE GUARDING BLAST SITE (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRED OPOLOT, GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN, SAYING: "64 persons have been confirmed dead, 57 have been admitted in various hospitals and 14 treated for minor injuries and discharged. Identification and trauma centres have been
  • Embargoed: 28th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Uganda
  • Country: Uganda
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
  • Reuters ID: LVAPOXJCL2D19Q301QSPE5WH30O
  • Story Text: Coordinated explosions in the Ugandan capital Kampala late on Sunday (July 11) that targeted fans watching the World Cup final killed at least 64 people, Uganda's government said on Monday (July 12).
    "64 persons have been confirmed dead, 57 have been admitted in various hospitals and 14 treated for minor injuries and discharged. Identification and trauma centres have been set up at Mlago Hospital and International Hospital, Kampala," said government spokesman, Fred Opolot.
    Opolot spoke after surveying the scene at the Lugogo Rugby Club premises where one of the blasts occurred.
    Uganda's military said a Somali suicide bomber could have been behind at least one of Sunday's after investigators found a severed head of someone they believed to be a Somali national.
    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombings. Al Qaeda-inspired al Shabaab militants in Somalia have threatened to attack Uganda for sending peacekeeping troops to the anarchic country to prop up the Western-backed government, but Opolot said it was too early to draw conclusions from evidence.
    "There are hallmarks, some two people have been suspected as suicide bombers but again we cannot expound on that at this stage"
    One American was among those killed in the Kampala bombings on Sunday and U.S. President Barack Obama, condemning what he called deplorable and cowardly attacks, said Washington was ready to help Uganda in hunting down those responsible.
    Twin coordinated attacks have been a hallmark of al Qaeda and groups linked to Osama bin Laden's militant network.
    Revelling one minute in the closing moments of the final between Spain and Netherlands, the bombings left shocked survivors standing among corpses and scattered chairs.
    Heavily armed police cordoned off both blast sites and searched the areas with sniffer dogs while dazed survivors helped pull the wounded away from the wreckage.
    Police said it was possible those behind the attacks on the Ethiopian Village and the rugby club were targeting foreigners.
    Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia in 2006 to oust an Islamist movement from Mogadishu. That sparked the Islamist insurgency which still rages.
    Uganda, east Africa's third largest economy, is attracting billions of dollars of foreign investment, especially in its oil sector and government debt markets, after two decades of relative stability.
    But investors in Uganda and neighbouring Kenya, which shares a largely porous border with Somalia, often cite the threat from Islamic militants as a serious concern.
    Regional allies are preparing to send an extra 2,000 peacekeepers to Somalia, bringing the total number of African Union troops to around 8,100. Al Shabaab responded by urging Muslims to join a jihad and pledged to attack before being attacked.
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