Seven people were killed and over 10 others wounded when a
suicide lorry full of explosives Sunday exploded inside the
compound of the interim Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, in
the north of the Somali capital Mogadishu, eyewitnesses confirmed
to Xinhua.
"A lorry forced itself inside the compound of the prime minister
and it detonated after it broke the gate, there was huge explosion
and smoke started to billow from inside," Khalif Omar told Xinhua.
"Nearly seven people died and more than 10 were wounded."
The Somali government security forces backed by Ethiopian troops
cordoned off the area and denied access near the vicinity of the
prime minister's house after the explosion.
Paddy Ankunda, the African Union spokesman, told local radio in
Mogadishu that the prime minister is in a safe place.
Ali Gedi escaped a number of previous attempts on his life. He
survived an attempt on his life on May 17, when a man threw a hand
grenade towards his convoy but failed to explode.
There have been frequent random killing of civilians and Somali
government officials and security forces and also bomb explosions
mostly roadside bombs targeting Somali government security forces
and Ethiopian soldiers and AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu since
Somali government declared end of major conflict in the capital
late April.
Government officials blame insurgent groups for the upsurge in
violence in the capital ahead of much awaited national
reconciliation conference expected to be held in Mogadishu in mid
June.
Somalia has been without an effective national government since
the overthrow of former ruler Mohamed Siyad Barre until the current
transitional government was formed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi in
2004.
(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2007)
