Somali defense official survives car bomb attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A top Somali defense official said he survived an attack Monday by an Islamist suicide bomber driving an explosive-laden vehicle in the capital of Mogadishu. At least one bystander was killed.
The attack against State Defense Minister Yusuf Mohamed Siyad – known by his nickname Indahaadde or "White Eyes" – comes as the besieged U.N.-backed government is preparing to launch an offensive against Islamist insurgents who have links to al-Qaida.
Siyad said the bomber's vehicle chased his car but exploded before colliding with it because a civilian minibus unexpectedly came between the two. Two bodyguards in a car driving behind the minister were wounded, Siyad said.
As the convoy stopped to collect the wounded men, a second vehicle and then a wheelbarrow packed with explosives detonated nearby, Siyad said.
Siyad said recent intelligence had indicated militants would target him in an attack.
"This attack was a message from my enemy that they are committed to killing me and all other government officials like me," he said. "But for me it encourages me to be ready for how I would target them in the name of the transitional federal government."
The Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab claimed responsibility in a statement released after the attack. They have previously used suicide bombs to kill government ministers, and are suspected of doing so last year in an attack on a medical school graduation in which four government ministers and 21 others were killed.
The insurgents are using increasingly sophisticated bombs and are able to coordinate attacks using multiple explosive devices. Experts say they are being taught by hundreds of foreign fighters who have joined the insurgency. The U.S. State Department says some members of al-Shabab have links to al-Qaida.
Siyad used to be a member of the insurgency but joined the government in 2009.
"This will not deter me from my national duties," he said. "I used to patrol in the city (at) midnight and I will keep patrolling until we restore law and order."
A medical official said one bystander was killed and another seriously injured.
"We went there to help if there were any casualties but government soldiers prevented us from entering. They told us there were no casualties there, but we saw a dead woman being carried on a hand cart on our way back," said Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu's ambulance service.
Somalia has not had an effective government in almost two decades. The current administration controls only a small section of the capital with the help of some 5,000 African Union peacekeepers. The government is preparing an offensive to try to wrest back control of much of the capital from the insurgents, who hold most of southern and central Somalia.
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Associated Press Writer Mohamed Sheik Nor contributed to this report.