MOGADISHU, Somalia July 14 (Garowe Online) - A man who spoke on behalf of an armed Islamist group in Somalia has claimed responsibility for a spate of recent assassinations, mainly targeting local and foreign aid workers.

The spokesman, who identified himself only as Sheikh Mohamed, said during an audio recording that aid agencies "assist" Ethiopian troops and Somalia's interim government forces.

Sheikh Mohamed specifically signaled out the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which he said funds the Somali army.

Further, he accused UNDP of aiding Ethiopia's 2006 invasion, which ousted the Islamic Courts movement from Mogadishu, saying: "The UN agencies took part in the war that destroyed the Islamic Courts, and they [UN] gave weapons, money and fuel to troops fighting against the Mujahidiin (Islamic fighters)."

A number of aid workers have been killed in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia since last month, with the UN and local aid agencies now considering to halt their operations there.

Source: Garowe Online