Seven people are dead after a suicide bomber drove through a roadblock, slammed his vehicle into a wall and detonated an explosive in an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Somalia's prime minister on Sunday.
Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi was not killed, according to reports.
"Nobody will say whether or not the prime minister was actually in the residence," CTV's Africa Bureau Chief Murray Oliver told 麻豆影视net from Kampala, Uganda.
"However, immediately after the attack, he was whisked away to a safe location and so he is reportedly unharmed."
The attack happened at Gedi's home in Mogadishu. Oliver said the prime minister is one of the few members of Somalia's government that still has his office in the volatile capital.
"Certainly this is going to really shake up the African Union peacekeeping troops who are attempting to put Mogadishu back together again, and it's clear that this place is really still enormously dangerous," Oliver said.
The AU has attempted to put together an 8,000-strong peacekeeping force to patrol Mogadishu and put an end to violence in the city, but has been unable to find countries willing to commit soldiers to the dangerous task, Oliver said.
"Some people are calling it the Baghdad of Africa," he said.
"The only peacekeepers in the country are Ugandan troops, about 1,500 of them, far short of the 8,000 needed, and they are largely confined to the airport and a few of them are guarding the prime minister's residence although it doesn't sound like any of them were killed.
Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle told The Associated Press the Sunday attack was a "terrorist operation."
Qasaye Mohamed Ali, who lives in the neighborhood, said he watched as the car forced its way through a roadblock, guards outside the premier's house opened fire and as the car the rammed into a wall and exploded.
With filed from The Associated Press
