Al Qaeda terrorists attack UN compound in Somalia

Wish it was the United Nations  HQ in New York.

 ....Al-Qaeda-linked bandits detonated several bombs and breached the main UN compound in Somalia's capital Wednesday, sparking gun battles that killed at least 12 people.

A UN official said at least three foreign and one Somali staff members were believed to be among the dead.

The attack comes only six months after the United Nations expanded its presence in Mogadishu, where it had kept only a small operation because Islamic insurgents had controlled much of the capital until being pushed out in an offensive in 2011.

Al-Shabab said on its Twitter feed shortly after Wednesday's attack began that its fighters "are now in control of the entire compound and the battle is still ongoing."

African Union and Somali security forces responded and took control of the compound about an hour later. The UN staff who sought refuge in the bunker then were evacuated to the secure military base and airport complex across the street, Parker said.

A UN official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not an official spokesman, said he believed three foreigners were killed: one Kenyan and two South Africans.

"There was not very much time to get into the safe area," said another UN official, Ben Parker, a spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia.

The top UN official on Somalia, Nicholas Kay, also works out of the building but was not inside the compound when it was attacked....