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 MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Few people noticed when a security detail ushered the president of Somalia from his three-ton armored vehicle to an ordinary car. The simple, routine security measure saved his life.
Moments later, a massive car bomb exploded outside the makeshift parliament building in Baidoa, the only town President Abdullahi Yusuf's virtually powerless government can rightfully claim to control. The blast destroyed the armored car and killed Yusuf's brother and four other members of the presidential detail.
The audacious attack Monday was a stark reminder of the U.N.-backed administration's weakness, and jeopardizes fragile peace talks between Yusuf's administration and the powerful Islamic fundamentalists who are extending their control over Somalia.
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