BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

12/03/2007

Somalia: No Belarus plane attacked at Mogadishu, AU official says

By Mohamed Abdi Farah

(SomaliNet) Captain Paddy Akunda, the spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping mission has strongly dismissed the notion that a Belarussian aircraft was hit by a rocket at the main Mogadishu airport on Monday as false news.

The interfax news agency citing a Belarussian official reported that An Ilyushin Il-76 jet of the transport company Transaviaexport was attacked as it was landing at an airport in Somalia but no one was hurt. The assailant opened fire from a small boat

The aircraft successfully landed and the nine crewmembers and six others on board were unhurt. The fuselage of the plane was damaged.

In an interview with Somalinet tonight, Paddy Ankunda said the news was totally untrue and no plane was hit.

"That is false news and it is completely fabricated and I can confirm to you that there was no aircraft at the airport that was attacked today and there was no accident at all according to our reports," said Ankunda.

The plane was carrying humanitarian cargo for the peacekeeping mission of the African Union forces in Somalia.

Source:

http://somalinet.com/news/world/Somalia/8420