Islamist insurgents fired mortars towards U.S. congressman Donald Payne as he left Somalia after a rare visit by a U.S. official to the anarchic country, police said.
Somalia’s capital Mogadishu is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. U.S. officials have avoided travel to the battle-scarred city due to constant fighting between factions there.
“One mortar landed at the airport when Payne’s plane was due to fly and five others after he left and no one was hurt,” Abukar Hassan, a police officer at Mogadishu airport, told Reuters.
Residents said three people were wounded when one of the mortars hit a nearby neighbourhood.
Somali officials said Payne had held meetings with the interim government’s president and prime minister during his short visit. African Union soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Somalia provided security for Payne.
Payne, 74, a New Jersey Democrat, is in his 10th term in the U.S. House of Representatives and was first elected in 1988. He is chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
“Islamist insurgents” fired, eh? How is this known?
Payne is a big-time imperial propaganda operative. He helped usher in the “genocide in Darfur” psy-op.
Don’t believe the hype.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
That’s because Somalia is 100 percent muslim, BigPearl you MORON.
April 13th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
If we send the congressman back, will they promise to try again? Maybe we can send Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pilosi over there too.
And what moron tries to use a mortar to knock out aircraft? On the runway or not, mortars are fairly useless against single targets.
April 14th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
It was staged prop. How the f--- did they know he was there? Cmon, they dont tell people they know want to kill them that they are on their way. But they certainly play out like Hillary and sniper fire..blah blah blah.
April 14th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
The Black Congressional Congress of 2009 is such a disappointment. Check out http://www.blackagendareport.com for more analysis.
April 26th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Were did you find these informations?