16:45 GMT, July 12, 2010 defpro.com | The al-Qaeda-proxy in Somalia, al-Shabaab, on Monday claimed responsibility of the overnight terror bombings in Ugandan capital of Kampala. The group’s spokesman, Sheik Ali Mahmoud Raghe, told during a press conference in Mogadishu later on Monday that his group was behind the twin bomb attacks that rocked Kampala last night, leaving at least 74 world cup fans dead.

“Praise be to Allah, our operation went on successfully last night and we are here telling with a loud voice that we will carry out more attacks against our enemy where ever they are in the world,” the spokesman said.

“The governments and the people of Uganda and Burundi defied our previous warnings to refrain from what their troops are doing here and they continued the massacre against our people in Mogadishu. So this is first of more revenge attacks against them,” Raghe stated.

He further said that young Mujahedeens have carried out the twin blasts at two locations in Kampala last night, refusing to disclose the nationalities of the young men who carried out the attacks.

The leaders of al-Shabaab last week said that they have lost patience and the time of revenge attacks against Uganda and Burundi has arrived.

On Monday, Ugandan police said, they believe that al-Shabaab is responsible for the terrorist attacks, but investigations were still underway.

This is the first such attack that al-Shabaab, which is considered as al-Qaeda branch in east Africa, carried out abroad. Previously the group was responsible for suicide and other terror attacks against Somali government officials and AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu.


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By Shafi’i Abokar, Special Correspondent for Somalia