Qaeda-linked group claims Uganda blasts that killed 74

An al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group claimed responsibility on Monday for twin bombings in Uganda that killed 74 people watching the World Cup final on TV....

An al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group claimed responsibility on Monday for twin bombings in Uganda that killed 74 people watching the World Cup final on TV,saying the militants would carry out attacks against our enemy wherever they are.

The claim by al-Shabab raises concerns about insecurity in East Africa and has broader implications for global security. This was its first international attack.

We will carry out attacks against our enemy wherever they are, said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage,a militant spokesman in Mogadishu. No one will deter us from performing our Islamic duty.

One of the targets was an Ethiopian restaurant a nation despised by al-Shabab. The blasts came two days after an al-Shabab leader called for attacks in Uganda and Burundi,nations that contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.

The attacks on two soft targets filled with civilians raised concerns about the capabilities and motives of al-Shabab,which the US State Department has declared a terrorist organisation. Analysts said other countries such as Kenya,Burundi,Djibouti and Ethiopia named directly by the militant group or because of their proximity to Somalia may also face new attacks.

A California-based aid group,meanwhile,said one of its American workers was among the dead. Police said Ethiopian,Indian and Congolese nationals were also among those killed and wounded.

Government spokesman Fred Opolot said there were indications that two suicide bombers were involved in the attacks. Opolot said the toll had risen to 74.

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Blood and flesh littered the floor among overturned chairs at the scenes of the blasts,which went off as people watched the game between Spain and the Netherlands.

Al-Shabab has used suicide bombers in the past and shown no concern about civilian casualties in its attacks, said David Shinn,a former US ambassador to Ethiopia and a professor at George Washington University. Some elements of al-Shabab have also prohibited the showing of television,including the World Cup,in Somalia.

At a news briefing on Monday in South Africa,FIFA President Sepp Blatter denounced the violence against fans watching the game. Can you link it to the World Cup?8230; Whatever happened,linked or not linked,it is something that we all should condemn, he said.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni toured the blast sites on Monday and said that the terrorists behind the bombings should fight soldiers,not people who are just enjoying themselves. We shall go for them wherever they are coming from, Museveni said.