United Nations : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council Saturday strongly condemned a deadly terrorist attack by Al-Shabaab militants on Somalia’s parliament that left at least 10 people dead and more than 11 others wounded.
“The secretary-general condemns the attack by suicide bombers and gunmen on Somalia’s federal parliament,” Xinhua quoted Ban’s spokesperson as saying in a statement. “There can be no justification for such attacks.”
“The secretary-general conveys his solidarity and support for the men and women of the federal parliament, who represent the people of Somalia and their aspiration for a peaceful future,” the statement said.
“The United Nations will continue to support the Somali people, their Government and their parliament, as they work for peace and stability.”
Gunmen loyal to the Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group stormed the facility in the capital of Mogadishu earlier in the day, reports said, adding that fighters used automatic rifles, heavy machine guns and explosives in an attack that lasted more than three hours. Members of the Somali parliament were among those wounded.
The UN Security Council members, in a separate statement, voiced their strong condemnation of the attack.
Somali government officials described the attack as “foiled” and pledged to intensify security of institutions.
The radical Islamist group of Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the latest attack. The group has been driven out of much of south and centre of Somalia but launches attacks in the government-controlled areas.