By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN, Associated Press Writer
MOGADISHU, Somalia – An explosion ripped through an upscale hotel in Somalia's capital Thursday during a university graduation ceremony, killing nine people, including three Cabinet ministers and two journalists.
More than three dozen medical, computer science and engineering students had gathered to receive their diplomas at the ceremony at the Shamow Hotel, which sits in the small patch of Mogadishu that is held by Somalia's weak central government.
Thursday's explosion raised questions about the government's ability to even control that small area, which is only several square blocks.
"What happened today is a national disaster," said Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle, who confirmed that the ministers for education, higher education and health were killed in the blast. The ministers for sports and tourism were wounded.
Two journalists also were killed and two wounded. Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television said its Somali cameraman, Hassan Zubeir, died. A second Somali reporter working for a local media outlet also died, said Bashir Khalif, a reporter for the Somali government's radio service.
In total, nine people were killed, said Col. Abdullahi Hassan Barise, a police spokesman.
Several hundred people had gathered inside a decorated ballroom in the Shamow Hotel to celebrate the graduations. Attendees sat on plastic chairs and faced a small stage when the explosion went off.
No officials could immediately confirm the cause of the blast. An Associated Press reporter attending the ceremony said that the explosion did not appear to be caused by a mortar blast because the roof remained intact, suggesting the blast was caused by a bomb planted in the hotel or possibly by a suicide bomber.
African troops protecting the fragile Somali government wage near daily battles with Islamic militants who control much of central and southern Somalia. The Horn of African nation hasn't had a stable government for almost two decades. The anarchy has also allowed piracy to flourish off the country's coast.
The president of Benadir University said 43 students were taking part in the graduation ceremony. The university was established in 2002 by a group of Somali doctors who wanted to promote higher education in a country where doctors have become the victims of the seemingly endless violence in their country.
The university's Web site says the school has more than 500 students and "strives to establish an open system of innovation and critical thinking similar to that in the developed countries."
Of the three ministers killed in the blast, one was a woman — Qamar Aden Ali, the health minister. Ibrahim Hassan Adow, the minister for higher education, and Ahmed Abdullahi Wayel, the minister for education, also died. There are 37 ministers in Somalia's government, according to a Web site on the Somali government kept by the CIA.
MOGADISHU, Somalia – An explosion ripped through an upscale hotel in Somalia's capital Thursday during a university graduation ceremony, killing nine people, including three Cabinet ministers and two journalists.
More than three dozen medical, computer science and engineering students had gathered to receive their diplomas at the ceremony at the Shamow Hotel, which sits in the small patch of Mogadishu that is held by Somalia's weak central government.
Thursday's explosion raised questions about the government's ability to even control that small area, which is only several square blocks.
"What happened today is a national disaster," said Somali Information Minister Dahir Mohamud Gelle, who confirmed that the ministers for education, higher education and health were killed in the blast. The ministers for sports and tourism were wounded.
Two journalists also were killed and two wounded. Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television said its Somali cameraman, Hassan Zubeir, died. A second Somali reporter working for a local media outlet also died, said Bashir Khalif, a reporter for the Somali government's radio service.
In total, nine people were killed, said Col. Abdullahi Hassan Barise, a police spokesman.
Several hundred people had gathered inside a decorated ballroom in the Shamow Hotel to celebrate the graduations. Attendees sat on plastic chairs and faced a small stage when the explosion went off.
No officials could immediately confirm the cause of the blast. An Associated Press reporter attending the ceremony said that the explosion did not appear to be caused by a mortar blast because the roof remained intact, suggesting the blast was caused by a bomb planted in the hotel or possibly by a suicide bomber.
African troops protecting the fragile Somali government wage near daily battles with Islamic militants who control much of central and southern Somalia. The Horn of African nation hasn't had a stable government for almost two decades. The anarchy has also allowed piracy to flourish off the country's coast.
The president of Benadir University said 43 students were taking part in the graduation ceremony. The university was established in 2002 by a group of Somali doctors who wanted to promote higher education in a country where doctors have become the victims of the seemingly endless violence in their country.
The university's Web site says the school has more than 500 students and "strives to establish an open system of innovation and critical thinking similar to that in the developed countries."
Of the three ministers killed in the blast, one was a woman — Qamar Aden Ali, the health minister. Ibrahim Hassan Adow, the minister for higher education, and Ahmed Abdullahi Wayel, the minister for education, also died. There are 37 ministers in Somalia's government, according to a Web site on the Somali government kept by the CIA.
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