Ali Mohamed Gedi

Gunmen threw grenades and a land mine exploded near the convoy of the prime minister, killing at least five bodyguards and wounding several others, said Mohamed Ali Americo, a senior official in Gedi's office. Gedi was unharmed.

It was the second such narrow escape for the prime minister. On May 3, an explosion went off 10 meters from Gedi during his first visit to Mogadishu since he took office last year.

Gedi's transitional government, formed in late 2004 after lengthy peace talks in Kenya, faces opposition from warlords. Fundamentalist Muslim leaders also oppose the secular transitional government.

On Nov. 5, two boats full of pirates approached the Seabourn Spirit off the coast of Somalia and fired rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles. None of its passengers were injured.

The Japan Times Weekly: Nov. 12, 2005
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