September 15, 2008 - An African Union peacekeeper from Uganda has died in an attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu - the second to be killed in as many days. Two peacekeepers were injured in the attack, in which a roadside bomb hidden under a pile of rubbish hit a group of soldiers, an AU spokesman said. On September 14 another Ugandan peacekeeper was killed and two wounded in an earlier attack in the capital. Islamists from the al-Shabab group claimed responsibility on September 14. "It is sad news for us to lose two of our colleagues in 24 hours, but this would never fulfill the aim of the attackers," said AU spokesman Barigye Bahoku. Some 1,800 Ugandan troops form the bulk of the AU forces in Somalia, helping to guard key buildings and the Mogadishu port, where food aid is unloaded. Al-Shabab is the strongest and best organised group among the insurgents. Over the weekend, the group threatened to stop planes using Mogadishu's main airport as of September 16. Mr Bahoku said any such move would hurt Somali civilians, including those who needed medicine or needed to leave because of illness. (Information from the BBC)

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