Car bomb explodes near presidential palace in Mogadishu![]() March 18, 2013 - 13:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A car bomb exploded in the center of the Somali capital near the presidential palace on Monday, March 18, a blast that appeared to target senior government officials, police and residents said, according to Reuters. It was unclear how many people could have been killed or injured in the suicide attack, police said. Security in Mogadishu has improved greatly since Islamist rebels allied to al Qaeda fled the city after a military offensive in August 2011, but bombings and assassinations in the coastal city - blamed on militants - still occur often. Partner news Only three senators on the committee - Republican Ron Paul and Democrats Tom Udall and Chris Murphy - opposed the bill. If true, the exclusion of Rafsanjani and Mashaie would leave the presidential race dominated by hardline conservatives. Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years. Partner news |