Incident Summary:
12/31/2007: African Union peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi were attacked near Somalia's Mogadishu international airport, but the peacekeepers reported that no one was hurt. Shaykh Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, spokesman for the Al Shabab group, claimed responsibility for the attack, but so did the Mujahidin Youth Movement (MYM). The MYM and Al Shabab claimed that the peacekeepers suffered ‘losses’ in the attack.
Overview
GTD ID:
200712310001
When:
2007-12-31
Country:
Somalia
Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Banaadir
City:
Mogadishu
Location Details:
The incident occurred near the Mogadishu international airport.
What
Attack Information
Type of Attack () |
Armed Assault |
Type of Attack () |
Facility/Infrastructure Attack |
Successful Attack? () |
Yes |
Target Information ()
Target Type: Military |
Name of Entity |
African Union Peacekeepers |
Specific Description |
Ugandan and Burundi troops |
Nationality of Target |
Uganda |
Target Type: Military |
Name of Entity |
African Union peacekeepers |
Specific Description |
Ugandan and Burundi troops |
Nationality of Target |
Burundi |
Additional Information
Hostages |
No |
Ransom |
No |
Property Damage |
No |
How
Weapon Information
Type |
Sub-type |
Firearms |
Unknown Gun Type |
Weapon Details |
The only information given was that the base came 'under fire' and that both perpetrator groups claimed that they inflicted loses. |
Additional Information
Suicide Attack? | No |
Part of Multiple Incident? | No |
Criterion 1 () |
Yes |
Criterion 2 () |
Yes |
Criterion 3 () |
Yes |
Doubt Terrorism Proper () |
No |
Additional Information |
There were two groups that claimed responsibility for this incident, Al Shabab and the Mujahidin Youth Movement. It is possible that they are one in the same. They both claimed to have inflicted losses on the peacekeepers, but the African Union spokesman stated that "no one was hurt." It appears that the Burundi peacekeepers have arrived recently and that more were expected. Uganda's peacekeepers were 1,600 strong and were the first to arrive in Somalia. Abu Mansur, the spokesman for Al Shabab, stated that "African Union peacekeepers are one of our targets, because they are defending the Somali people's enemy, Ethiopia. We will also attack Burundi peacekeepers wherever they are in Mogadishu." |
Who
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name |
Group Sub-name |
Claimed Responsibility |
Al-Shabaab |
Mujahideen Youth Movement (MYM) |
Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Call (post-incident)) |
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators |
Unknown |
Number of Captured Perpetrators |
0 |
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties |
Unknown |
Total Number of Fatalities |
Unknown |
Number of U.S. Fatalities |
0 |
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities |
0 |
Total Number of Injured |
Unknown |
Number of U.S. Injured |
0 |
Number of Perpetrators Injured |
0 |
Sources
Sources
“Somalia: Al Shabab claims responsibility for recent Mogadishu attacks,” Mogadishu Shabeelle Media Network, December 31, 2007. |
“Somalia: MYM Claims Raids on Somali, Ethiopian, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda Forces,” Jihadist Websites – OSC, January 1, 2008. |
“Somali insurgents attack Ugandan peacekeepers,” Kampala The Monitor, January 1, 2008. |
Criteria
Criteria 1
The act must be aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal. In terms of economic goals, the exclusive pursuit of profit does not satisfy this criterion. It must involve the pursuit of more profound, systemic economic change.
Criterion 2
There must be evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) than the immediate victims. It is the act taken as a totality that is considered, irrespective if every individual involved in carrying out the act was aware of this intention. As long as any of the planners or decision-makers behind the attack intended to coerce, intimidate or publicize, the intentionality criterion is met.
Criterion 3
The action must be outside the context of legitimate warfare activities. That is, the act must be outside the parameters permitted by international humanitarian law (particularly the prohibition against deliberately targeting civilians or non-combatants.
Doubt Terrorism Proper
The existence of a "Yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper?" records reservation, in the eyes of GTD analysts, that the incident in question is truly terrorism. Such uncertainty, however, was not deemed to be sufficient to disqualify the incident from inclusion into the GTD. Furthermore, such a determination of doubt is subsequently coded by GTD analysts as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Alternate Designation
The determination of "yes" for "Doubt Terrorism Proper" by GTD analysts is coded as conforming to one of four possible alternative designations: 1) Insurgency/Guerilla Action; 2) Internecine Conflict Action; 3) Mass Murder; or 4) Purely Criminal Act.
Successful Attack
Success of a terrorist strike is defined according to the tangible effects of the attack. For example, in a typical successful bombing, the bomb detonates and destroys property and/or kills individuals, whereas an unsuccessful bombing is one in which the bomb is discovered and defused or detonates early and kills the perpetrators. Success is not judged in terms of the larger goals of the perpetrators. For example, a bomb that exploded in a building would be counted as a success even if it did not, for example, succeed in bringing the building down or inducing government repression.
Type of Attack
This field captures the general method of attack and often reflects the broad class of tactics used. It consists of the following nine categories:
- Assassination
- Armed Assault
- Unarmed Assault
- Bombing/Explosion
- Hijacking
- Hostage taking (Barricade Incident)
- Hostage taking (Kidnapping)
- Facility / Infrastructure Attack
- Unknown
Target Information
This field captures the general type of target. It consists of the following 22 categories:
- Abortion Related
- Airports & Airlines
- Business
- Government (General)
- Government (Diplomatic)
- Educational Institution
- Food or Water Supply
- Journalists & Media
- Maritime (includes Ports and Maritime facilities)
- Military
- NGO
- Other
- Police
- Private Citizens & Property
- Religious Figures/Institutions
- Telecommunication
- Terrorists
- Tourists
- Transportation (other than aviation)
- Unknown
- Utilities
- Violent Political Parties