Accessibility links

Breaking News
News

Islamist Militants Claim Responsibility for Somali Bombings


Islamist insurgents in Somalia have claimed responsibility for bombings that killed at least 20 people in the northern Somali port of Bossaso on Tuesday.

The radical Somali Islamic group Shabab posted a message on its Web site Thursday saying Ethiopian soldiers who fought in Mogadishu were the target of the attack.

Bossaso is located in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region. Shabab said the two blasts were a warning to Puntland to refrain from hosting Ethiopian soldiers and their wives.

About 80 people were wounded in Tuesday's attacks. Puntland officials say the blasts harmed mostly Ethiopian migrants.

Thousands of Ethiopians are in Puntland, which is a launching point for migrants heading to Yemen across the Gulf of Aden.

Ethiopia is supporting the Somali interim government in its fight against the Islamist-led insurgency.

Most of the fighting has taken place in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. Puntland, which declared semi-autonomous status in 1998, has been relatively peaceful compared to the rest of the country.

XS
SM
MD
LG