Somalia’s Prime Minister Survives Suicide Attack; 7 Others Die

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Source: New York Times

Somalia’s Prime Minister Survives Suicide Attack; 7 Others Die
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By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
Published: June 4, 2007
NAIROBI, Kenya, June 3 — A suicide bomber narrowly missed killing Somalia’s transitional prime minister on Sunday afternoon after he rammed a pickup truck packed with explosives into the gates of the prime minister’s house in Mogadishu, the capital.

The prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, who was inside at the time, was unhurt. However, the explosion killed six of his bodyguards, along with a student at a Koranic school across the street.

Witnesses said that the pickup sped through a roadblock outside Mr. Gedi’s house and that bodyguards opened fire as the truck hurtled onward. It then slammed into a set of gates just feet away from the residence and exploded in a fireball that flattened several buildings and scattered debris for blocks.

Afterward, Ugandan peacekeepers shuttled Mr. Gedi from his house to an undisclosed location. Speaking on national radio, he blamed Islamist militants for the violence.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/world/africa/04somalia.html