Two powerful explosions ripped through the headquarters of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia Thursday, killing nine soldiers including the deputy commander, the Ugandan army said. The army said the force commander, Ugandan General Nathan Mugisha, was among the wounded in the twin suicide attack, which was claimed by hard-line Somali rebels.
"At least two bombs" exploded at the force headquarters in a fortified compound at Mogadishu airport, the AU said in a statement which condemned what it called a "barbaric attack" that injured several soldiers. The circumstances surrounding the attack were unclear Thursday but witnesses said the bombers entered the compound using two vehicles with United Nations markings.