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.
