Islamist insurgents claim Somalia attacks
MOGADISHU (AFP) — Islamist insurgents in Somalia have claimed responsibility for twin attacks in the northeast port city of Bossaso that left 20 dead, mostly Ethiopians, in a website message.
In a message posted Wednesday, the Shabab said the explosions targeted "Ethiopian forces who fought in Mogadishu and who were assisting Puntland forces" in the city.
Ethiopian troops are currently in Somalia, propping up the weak interim government that has been fighting the remnants of the Islamist militia which briefly controlled large parts of the country in 2006.
The Shabab said on their official website that the attacks late Tuesday were "in order to prevent Puntland from serving as a safe haven for the Ethiopian invading forces and not have a rest place where they bring their wives."
The Islamic Courts Union was defeated by Ethiopian troops last year.
The political leadership fled to neighbouring countries but its Shabab youth organisation -- effectively the movement's armed wing -- regrouped and waged a deadly guerrilla-style war against Ethiopian and governments targets.
The statement marked the first time that the Islamist insurgents -- who had concentrated their operations on Mogadishu and its immediate surroundings -- claim an attack in Puntland since Ethiopian troops moved into Somalia.
In a recent report, the African Union warned that the insurgents were attempting to further destabilise the struggling interim government by broadening their area of operations.
Puntland, which declared semi-autonomous status in 1998, has been relatively peaceful compared to Somalia, which has been wracked by violence since former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991.
The Puntland information ministry said Wednesday that 20 "civilians", most of them Ethiopians, had been killed in the attack and 80 others wounded in the port city, which has become a magnet for migrants.
Thousands of migrants fleeing conflict, famine, religious and political oppression in Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea converge each year on Bossaso, where many attempt the perilous crossing of the Gulf of Aden on rickety dhows.
