United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon expressed strong outrage over a "despicable" attack by Islamists on its U.N. compound in Somalia Wednesday that killed 15 people.
"The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the loss of life in the UN family, its contractors and among Somalis," said Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson in a statement.
While condemning the militants' attack upon its compound in the capital Mogadishu, the secretary-general stated that the world body "would not be deterred from delivering its mandate" in the country.
"Malicious terrorist attacks of this nature will not deter the United Nations or weaken its resolve to stand by the people and Government of Somalia as they work courageously to build peace in their country," said the spokesman.
The attackers initially detonated a car bomb outside the U.N. mission and then militants armed with rifles and explosives stormed inside. A two-hour fierce gun-battle with security forces ensued, according to the BBC News.
The al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabab in a tweet declared that the group was behind the attack.
Somalia's minister of interior and national security, Abdikarim Hussein Guled, said that four foreigners, four local security guards and seven militants were killed in the fight that lasted for two hours.
UN envoy to Somalia, Nicholas Kay, who was not hurt in the attack, called it a desperate act. "At this stage our firm intent is to stick to the mission and not abandon Somalia," he said to BBC News.
Earlier, the U.N. Somalia mission was based in neighboring Kenya because of security fears and only recently it had expanded its operations in the capital.
The attack took place six months after the United Nations secretary general made a surprise visit to the capital regarding the relocation of its political office to Somalia from Kenya.
