On the 11^{th of July, a day that we shall never forget, our partner nation of Uganda was struck with a vicious attack in its capital city of Kampala. An estimated 74 World Cup fans died in the attack as blasts went off a while people watched the final match of that tournament, which has brought pride and unity to Africa in the past month.}

At least another 70 bystanders were injured in the explosions which occured at a Kampala rugby club and an Ethiopian restaurant just two days after an al-Shabaab leader called for militants to attack sites in Uganda and Burundi, the two nations that contribute troops to the African Union peacekeeping force here in Somalia. This is the first time al-Shabaab has struck outside Somalia.

In Mogadishu, the al-Shabaab commander Sheik Yusuf Sheik Issa, an, told the media early Monday that he was happy with the attacks in Uganda, saying "Uganda is one of our enemies. Whatever makes them cry makes us happy. May Allah’s anger be upon those who are against us."

Similar to the December 3, 2009 terrorist attack at Mogadishu’s Bandir University in which a suicide bomber killed 19 people, including the ministers of health, education, youth and sports, and higher education, and multiple reporters, dignitaries, parents, and students attending a medical school graduation ceremony, Sunday night’s attack on a sports event, especially one that has united Africa and the world for the past month, shows al-Shabaab’s total disrespect for cultural tenets that Somalis proudly embrace. Targeting peaceful World Cup fans is an especially heinous act of cowardice. These useless bombings are another demonstration of Al-Shabaab’s complete disregard for innocent human life in both Somalia and the East Africa region.

On behalf of President Sharif Ahmed, Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, and the entire nation of Somalia, we wish to express our deepest condolences to the victims and families of those killed in the July 11 bombings in Kampala. We note very gratefully that the leadership of the Ugandan government has reaffirmed Uganda’s resolve to assist Somalia, rather than being intimidated by this cowardly attack. It is our hope that we continue to forget strong and healthy relationship with each other. Together, we can defeat Al-Shabaab’s tyranny and move our country and region to safe and prosperous new heights.