Officials in Somalia have confirmed that a cargo plane carrying 11 people aiding the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia was shot down by a missile Friday, killing everyone aboard.
The Russian-built cargo plane was attacked shortly after taking off from the airport near Mogadishu. Officials say 10 crewmembers were killed instantly, while one died at a nearby hospital.
The plane had delivered crew and equipment to Mogadishu to repair another plane that had been seriously damaged in an earlier missile attack.
Friday's attack came at the end of a violent week in Mogadishu that left at least 25 people dead.
Fighting on the ground largely died down Friday after the powerful Hawiye clan said it had reached a ceasefire with Ethiopian forces who back the Somali government.
Many of the Islamist fighters who have been fighting the government come from the clan.
The EU presidency condemned the presuming downing of the plane Friday and called on all parties to immediately end the fighting.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
