The attack comes only six months after the United Nations
...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly...
expanded its presence in Mogadishu, where it had kept only a small operation because hard boyz had controlled much of the capital until being pushed out in an offensive in 2011.
Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
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
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
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 front man, 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 front man 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.
At 11:30 a.m. the compound was rocked by the first kaboom. At least two others followed, Parker said. Dozens of staff from UN humanitarian and development agencies were in the compound and many were moved to the secure bunker, he said.
Mohamed Ali, an ambulance driver, said he transported five dead civilian bodies and 10 people who were maimed.
An News Agency that Dare Not be Named news hound who went inside the UN compound after the battle saw two dead bodies of what appeared to be al-Shabaab attackers wearing Somali military uniforms. An official said seven attackers died in total.