Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joined President Obama in strongly condemning Sunday’s bomb attacks in Kampala, Uganda, in which at least 64 people were reported to have died.
Two bombs simultaneously ripped through the Ethiopian Village restaurant and a sports club in the Ugandan capital late Sunday evening, killing innocent spectators who were watching the World Cup final.
In a statement Ms. Clinton said, “We understand that American citizens may have been injured or killed and our embassy is reaching out to assist. Our condolences go out to the families and friends of the victims, in the United States and Uganda.”
According to media reports, the U.S. embassy in Kampala had confirmed that one American was killed in the bombings. Reports also noted that a California-based charity called “Invisible Children” which works against the use of children as soldiers, had identified that victim as one of its staff.
The Secretary said at this tragic moment the U.S. stood with Uganda, adding, “We have a long-standing, close friendship with the people and government of Uganda and will work with them to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.”
According to Reuters, the al-Qaeda-inspired al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia had threatened to attack Uganda for sending peacekeeper troops to the east African country to support its Western and Ethiopian-backed government. Reports also said that an al-Shabaab commander in Mogadishu had welcomed the attack, however adding that “he did not know if they had carried it out”.
