Twin Bombings Kill 70 Watching World Cup Match

It appears that Somali terrorists affiliated with al Qaeda were behind a bombing in Uganda yesterday. A large crowd had gathered to watch the World Cup finals match between Spain and the Netherlands and two suicide bombers blew up in the crowd. One bomb blew up at a rugby club. The other blew up at a restaurant where people were watching the match. More than 70 people were killed in the attacks.

The blasts hit in the capital, Kampala, within 50 minutes of each other. The first one struck an Ethiopian restaurant in a neighborhood dotted with bars and popular among expatriates; two others exploded at the rugby center.

A senior Ugandan government official confirmed there were three bombs. The second one at the rugby club was the most severe, said the official, who is not authorized to speak to the media because of the sensitivity of the situation.

Immediate suspicion swirled around Somalia Islamist groups. Islamic militants battling Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government have threatened attacks on Uganda and Burundi, which contribute troops to an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

"Our first suspicion is that this could be the work of terrorists from Somalia because of our forces in that country," the Ugandan government official said. "There is an investigation going on, our security agencies are analyzing the situation on the ground, but our first suspicion is Al-Shabaab. We've had this suspicion all along."

"We wish to condemn the criminality of these attacks," Museveni said. "From a casual look at the scene, I'm confident police will be able to reconstruct the crime scene ... We shall go after them because we know where they come from."

The bombings, he said, show "criminality, and terrorism has always been hovering over us."

In a government statement, Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed also blamed Al-Shabaab, saying he "condemns in the strongest terms the despicable terrorist acts that killed over 60 people in Kampala."

Al Shabaab terrorists have threatened attacks against Uganda for quite some time now, and it appears that they made good on those threats. An unnamed terror leader praised the attacks, but stopped short of taking credit for them:

An al Shabaab commander in Mogadishu praised the attacks but admitted he did not know whether they were the work of his group, which is fighting to overthrow the Somali government.

"Uganda is a major infidel country supporting the so-called government of Somalia," said Sheikh Yusuf Isse, an al Shabaab commander in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

"We know Uganda is against Islam and so we are very happy at what has happened in Kampala. That is the best news we ever heard," he said.

These Islamic terrorists praised those who murdered innocents while watching the World Cup.

This is barbarism in full display and shows the lengths to which these terrorists will go to spread fear and cause mass casualties in pursuit of their theological objectives.

UPDATE:
Al Shabaab has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attacks in Uganda, where the death toll is now 74.

Uganda Considering Extreme Measures For HIV Positive Homosexual Conduct

Uganda appears to be considering legislation that would provide the death penalty for those men who are HIV positive and engage in what is considered aggravated homosexual conduct.

While any attempt to reduce the spread of AIDS and HIV should be welcome, this is the absolute wrong way to approach matters. In fact, it criminalizes homosexuality and treats homosexuals. Some Americans have gotten into the fray, including pastor Rick Warren, who happened to conduct President Barack Obama's invocation during his inauguration in January.

The conservative pastor who delivered President Barack Obama's inaugural convocation address won't condemn a proposed Ugandan law that punishes homosexual acts with death.

His position is raising eyebrows, not the least of which was Newsweek, which noted his position Sunday. Warren has been supportive of a Ugandan pastor behind the legislation, Martin Ssempa, hosting him during visits to the United States at his Saddleback church.

Warren tried to distance himself from Ssempa in October, saying, "Martin Ssempa does not represent me, my wife Kay, Saddleback Church, nor the Global PEACE Plan strategy."

But this month, asked on whether he opposed a measure under which homosexual acts are punishable by life in prison or sometimes death, Warren refused to condemn the proposal.

"The fundamental dignity of every person, our right to be free, and the freedom to make moral choices are gifts endowed by God, our creator," Warren remarked. However, it is not my personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations."

Warren weasels out of having to take a stand on the death penalty and the treatment of homosexuals.

There are quite a few disturbing provisions within the proposed legislation:

Under current Ugandan law, homosexuality is a crime punishable by life in prison. The proposed law would not just condemn HIV positive gay men and "repeat offenders" to death, it would also jail for three years anyone who knows a gay man but refuses to report them to authorities. Further, anyone who defends in public the rights of gays and lesbians would be subjected to a seven year prison term.

This is an affront to anyone concerned about human rights.

At the same time, NPR and other sources are linking a group known as the Family to the Ugandan legislative effort. I'm not sure there is any concrete evidence on this group's operation and role, but NPR and others are allowing a writer, Jeff Sharet, to spread his theory which details the group's role in the conservative movement in the US in support of his book sales.