Marking the first visit to the country by a senior American politician in years, Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) flew into the Somali capital of Mogadishu today to “discuss ways the international community could help the government, and the issue of piracy.” Payne, who was flanked by six bodyguards on the trip, came under attack before he was about to leave:
Somali insurgents fire mortars toward U.S. Congressman Donald Payne during a visit to the Somali capital, Reuters reported.
“One mortar landed at the airport when Payne’s plane was due to fly and five others after he left and no one was hurt,” Abukar Hassan, a police officer at Mogadishu airport, told Reuters.
The attack on Payne came just “hours after a pirate leader threatened retaliation against America for killing his men during an operation to rescue a kidnapped US captain.”
Update
Bloomberg reports, “The U.S. military is considering attacks on pirate bases on land and aid for the Somali people to help stem ship hijackings off Africa’s east coast, defense officials said.”
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