Somali Foreign Minister Says MYM, Al-Qaeda Behind Mogadishu Bombing

Report by Khalid Mahmud in Cairo: “The Somali Foreign Minister to Al-Sharq al-Awsat: the Mogadishu Bombing Has All the Hallmarks of the Youth Mujahidin Movement and Al-Qaeda; Such Bombings Are Not Known in Somalia or Even in Most World Countries”



Several Somali Government officials and international community figures have expressed skepticism about the denial by the Somali Mujahidin Youth Movement (MYM), which is opposed to the Somali transitional government, led by Shaykh Sharif Shaykh Ahmad, and to the foreign military presence in Somalia, of its responsibility for the terrorist bombing that occurred during a medical students graduation ceremony in a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. The suicide bombing left 32dead, including cabinet ministers, journalists, doctors, and 40 others injured.



Somali Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Jami Jengeli told Al-Sharq al-Awsat by telephone from Mogadishu that the mode of the bombing had all the hallmarks of the MYM, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, noting that the way the bombing took place is not known in Somalia, the African countries, or and even in most countries of the world.



According to official and unofficial stories, the bomber entered the graduation ceremony hall disguised in veiled woman`s clothes and sat for some time listening to the speeches made before approaching the platform and detonating himself. After the bombing, the police showed journalists the mutilated body parts of the bomber.



The Somali foreign minister confirmed to Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the MYM usually commits such acts. He added: “I have learned that the MYM denied responsibility for the incident, but this is due to the people`s anger at the magnitude of the destruction and losses in life. However, we suspect that the MYM has a hand in the bombing, and it usually behaves in this way.”



In reply to a question on whether he means that Al-Qaeda and the MYM are involved in the bombing, the Somali foreign minister said: “There are indications of this involvement, and previously they carried out similar acts of terror. So far we have no definite evidence of their involvement, but we will conduct a broad investigation and after which we will announce the details, including the parties behind the bombing. We have to wait until we have examined the evidence before issuing a final judgment, and we will be prepared to do that.”



In reply to a question on whether the Somali Government will ask for foreign security assistance in the investigation, the foreign minister said: “This depends on the investigators. If they ask for experts, they have all the powers to do that. But I have no information on whether there is a need foreign assistance in the investigation. There is a need to learn the whole truth to tell the world and the Somali people. We will share all the information that we will obtain with the countries concerned and certainly with our people.”



The UN envoy to Somalia, Ahmed Ould Abdallah, has held those he called Islamist rebels responsible for most of the major acts of violence plaguing the country. In a statement he made in Tokyo, he said: “I think that it is utter delusion to suggest that those behind the atrocity are not the same group that killed the security minister, that attacked the peacekeeping force, and that stoned women and children to death.”



It is to be recalled that MYM spokesman Ali Mahmoud Raji had denied his group`s responsibility for the latest bombing in Mogadishu. He said: “We declare that the MYM did not engineer that bombing. We believe it is a conspiracy by the Somali Government. It is not in the nature of the MYM to target innocent people.” He said that deep political differences surfaced a long time ago among senior officials of the fragile government of Somali President Shaykh Sharif, which is in control of only limited areas of the capital Mogadishu. He added: “As you know, there is a power struggle, which has been going on for a long time.” He said: “We know that some of those who call themselves government officials had left the scene of the explosion minutes before the bombing occurred, and so it is clear that they are responsible for the carnage.”



In an attempt to distance the Islamic Party from the Mogadishu incident, Islamic Party leader Hasan Dahir Aweys condemned the bombing. He said that it was engineered by “our enemies who want to kill Somali intellectuals and spread an atmosphere of hostility to prevent reconciliation.” He stressed that the bombing “could not have possibly been carried out by a Somali citizen; it was engineered by enemies, perhaps in cooperation with foreign conspirators who seek to occupy Somalia, in reference to the African Union peacekeeping force composed of approximately 4,000 soldiers from Burundi and Uganda.”



Several observers believe that the latest bombing will undermine the prestige of the Somali Government and put it to the test amid fears that the Islamist rebels may succeed in penetrating the security and military agencies loyal to them. In his statement to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, however, the Somali foreign minister ruled out the possibility of the collapse of the transitional government, led by President Shaykh Sharif, which came to power early this year, because of the latest bombing. He said that this terrorist attack will not intimidate the interim authority (the president, government, and parliament) or prevent officials from continuing to perform their duties. He added: “We have undertaken a noble mission to help our people who have placed their trust in us. Nothing will prevent us from performing our duty to restore security and stability and help our people.” He added: “We will continue our efforts on this path because we shoulder a major and important responsibility, which, we believe, have the Somali people`s support.” He pointed out that President Sharif emphasized this approach in a statement he made the day before yesterday. He said: “We are resolved to continue to work in the interest of the Somali people and to achieve peace. The bombing will not frighten us; it will only increase our determination and insistence to go ahead to achieve our goals and national reconciliation.”



The Somali foreign minister appealed to those he called our “friends in the Arab world” to help the Somali people and government at this crucial time. He told Al-Sharqal-Awsat : “We need the support and assistance of our friends in the Arab world. We assume major missions to achieve peace and stability. Many international parties are helping us, and we are exerting efforts to restore security to the country.”