- Somalia’s Islamic insurgents, al Shabaab, has distanced itself from the suicide attack in the country’s capital Mogadishu yesterday, which killed at least 22 people, including three ministers, during a graduation ceremony.
According to a statement issued by the group's spokesperson, Sheikh Mohamud Rage said the group was not behind the killing of unarmed civilians accusing the Transitional Government of masterminding the attack.
"We believe it is a plot by the government itself. It is not in the nature of al-Shabaab to target innocent people," he said.
He further stated some government officials left the explosion scene just few minutes before the attack. “That is why it is clear that they were behind the killings," he said.
Local reports said a suicide bomber, disguised as a woman when he enterd the Shamo hotel, where the graduation ceremony for medical students was held.
The three ministers killed in the blast, were a woman, Ms Qamar Aden Ali, the health minister, Mr Ibrahim Hassan Adow, the minister for higher education, and Mr Ahmed Abdullahi Wayel, the minister for education.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has condemned the attack, also calling on groups in Somalia opposed to the transitional government to disarm immediately.
A statement approved late on Thursday by all 15 council members said that it supported the Somali people in their quest for peace and reconciliation and the UN-backed government as the legitimate authority in Somalia.
The African Union (AU) on its part said the inhumane and cowardly attack would not deter the resolve and determination of the African Union to support the people of Somalia in their quest for peace and reconciliation.
The Thursday attack, was the worst since June when a security minister, Colonel Omar Hashi Aden and more than 18 other people were killed by a suicide car bomber north of the capital Mogadishu.
Somalia has had no effective central government since 1991 when warlords overthrew a longtime dictator and then plunged the country into anarchy and chaos.
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