Assassins attack Somali police chief

Gunmen threw grenades at the home of the regional police chief in southwestern Somalia, killing two of his grandchildren and a bodyguard but not their target, authorities said yesterday.
Seven other family members were wounded in the Monday night attack, which police said was a failed assassination attempt against Gen. Ibrahim Hashi Gabow, the regional police chief based in Baidoa.
"They threw hand grenades into the house," said Aden Bid, the commander of Baidoa's police station. "The two children died at the hospital, but the bodyguard died on the spot." The children were aged 5 and 8.
Baidoa, 155 miles southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, is the headquarters for the Somali parliament and several senior government officials live there. Security in Baidoa has been deteriorating, with increased attacks on lawmakers. Last week, a judge was fatally shot there.