MOGADISHU, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior Somali military commander and seven of his bodyguards were killed on Sunday in a suicide car bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, a local government spokesman said.
Abdifitah Omar Halane confirmed to Xinhua that Gen. Mohamed Jimaale (Gobale), the head of the 3rd battalion in the Somali National Army, died in hospital after the attack.
The massive car bomb targeted vehicles carrying senior army officials near the Ministry of Defence headquarters.
Suspicion is likely to fall on the Somalia-based Islamist group Al-Shabaab, which stages frequent attacks in the country in its insurgency against the Somali government.
