BARDHERE, Somalia June 27 (Garowe Online) - A former defense minister in Somalia has blamed transitional President Abdullahi Yusuf and Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi for a Wednesday landmine explosion that wounded him and killed his driver. [ Full story]

Col. Barre "Hirale" Adan Shire, a member of the Somali parliament, said only Allah (God) saved him from the landmine that was intended to kill him.

MP Barre Hirale

MP Hirale suffered minor injuries but his driver died on the scene in Bardhere, a town in the southwestern region of Gedo, witnesses said.. It was the third deadly blast in the town since May.

Two other officials were also wounded in the explosion, according to medical sources. An official with the now-defunct Jubba Valley Alliance (JVA), Adan Koronto, was one of the three wounded individuals in the vehicle.

Hirale blamed President Yusuf and Prime Minister Gedi for the unsuccessful attempt on his life, adding that "the truth will come out" soon. He provided no evidence linking the landmine attack to the Somali leaders during his interview with Mogadishu radio.

The wounded MP said President Yusuf has designs to destroy the people of Kismayo, a port city in southern Somalia. Hirale was chairman of the JVA militia coalition that ruled the town between 1999 and 2006.

Hirale said that he is the "defender" of Kismayo civilians, citing this as the main reason he lost his defense minister position. He accused his replacement, Col. Abdirisaq Biihi, of being a "yes-man" for Yusuf and Gedi.

Earlier this week, the ex-defense chief distanced himself from Marehan clan militias who forcefully took control of Kismayo in late April after evicting the government-appointed regional administration from the town.

The Marehan clan militias have been accused of rape, robbery and indiscriminate killings against unarmed civilians in Kismayo following battles with government troops last week. [ Full story]

Source: Garowe Online