Officials: Somali Minister Killed by Niece

Somali Interior Minister Abdi Shakur Sheikh Hassan was killed Friday in a suicide attack carried out by his niece at his home in the country's capital, Mogadishu. Officials say Hassan's teenage niece had recently joined the Islamist militant group al-Shabab, which admitted to the bombing and promised more attacks in the near future. She had visited her uncle's home several times in previous days and walked in unnoticed by guards before detonating the bomb. The war-torn state of Somalia has been stricken lately by violence from al-Shabab, which has ties to al Qaeda. The militant group has recently lost ground to Somali troops and African Union soldiers. Territory losses have prompted them to target high government officials like Hassan in the past.