MOGADISHU, (Reuters) – Hardline Islamist insurgents  killed Somalia’s security minister and at least 30 other people  yesterday in the deadliest suicide bomb attack yet in the Horn  of Africa nation, officials said.

National Security Minister Omar Hashi Aden was a key player  in the government offensive against Islamist rebels who control  much of southern Somalia and want to impose a strict version of  Islamic law throughout the country.

Insurgent group al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda,  stepped up attacks in early May to try to oust President Sheikh  Sharif Ahmed, but neither side has delivered a knockout blow and  clashes have killed about 300 people since then.

Western nations, some of Somalia’s neighbours and the  government fear that if the chaos persists, more foreign  fighters coming to wage holy war will be sucked into the Horn of  Africa nation, increasing risks to the region.