‘Somali link’ as 74 World Cup fans die in Uganda blasts
July 12th, 2010 . by additurboknittingneedlesThe death toll from twin blasts that hit the Ugandan capital as football fans gathered to watch the World Cup final has risen to 74, officials say.
Another 70 were injured in the explosions at a Kampala rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant.
Police are investigating whether the blasts were suicide bombings, and blamed Somalia’s al-Shabab militants.
Ugandan peacekeepers operate in Somalia, and al-Shabab has threatened to hit Kampala in the past.
About 5,000 African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi are based in Mogadishu to protect the fragile interim government.
The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) force is engaged in frequent firefights with Islamist insurgents which control much of southern and central Somalia.
