国际英语新闻：World condemns killing of Somali civilians

NAIROBI, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The international community has condemned a suicide bombing which killed at least 19 people including three Somali government ministers on Thursday at a graduation ceremony in a Mogadishu hotel.

In a joint statement issued in Nairobi, the EU, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the League of Arab States, Norway, the UN, and the U.S. all condemned "in the strongest terms the cowardly acts of terrorism killing Somali officials and civilians in Mogadishu."

    They said the horrific attack was another demonstration of the extremists' complete disregard for human life.

Somalia men carried the body of a Somali government minister, who was killed during an explosion at the Hotel Shamo in Mogadishu Dec. 3, 2009.

 "The fact this bombing targeted graduating medical students -- the future doctors of Somalia -- is particularly egregious," they said in the statement.

    The suicide bomber detonated an explosion inside Hotel Shamo at KM 5 area of Mogadishu during the graduation ceremony of medical students of the Banadir University resulting in the deaths of so far, 19 civilians and injuries of several others.

    Witnesses said the attack appeared to have targeted government officials. Islamists are fighting the UN-backed government, which controls small pockets of territory in the country.

A Somali journalist wounded in an explosion at Hotel Shamo is assisted by nurses outside Madina hospital in Mogadishu, December 3, 2009.

The international community said these desperate acts, however, will not deter them from continuing its support to the Somali government and the Somali people who are working to restore peace and stability in Somalia.

    The attack killed three ministers and seriously wounded a fourth, who were working selflessly for the reconciliation of Somalia.

    The international community said the ministers were merely carrying out their civic duties in attending a graduation ceremony in which young, enterprising Somalis were participating in what should have been a landmark occasion in their young lives.

    "The killing of the two journalists who were reporting at the location is an outrage and an effrontery to the international and national media community and the people of Somalia as it brings the number of journalist killed this year to eight," they said.

    "The EU, IGAD, LAS, Norway, the UN and the U.S. send their sincere condolences to the family and friends of the victims of this cold-blooded attack, as well as to the government and the people of Somalia."

    The Shamo hotel is reportedly often used by the few foreigners -- aid workers, journalists and diplomats -- who still visit the war-ravaged capital.