MOGADISHU A Somali official says the country's interior minister died after he was wounded in an explosion at his home in the capital.

update Blast Kills Interior Minister.Minister's Niece is Alleged Suicide Bomber
Ministry of Information spokesman Abdifatah Abdinur said Friday that Minister Abdishakur Sheik Hassan died from wounds sustained when shrapnel from the blast hit him in his legs and other parts of his body.

Abdinur said the dead body of a female suspected to be the bomber was found in the home. He said officials are not ruling out the possibility of a suicide attack, but are still investigating.

Islamists linked with al-Qaida are battling Somalia's fragile government. The militants use suicide bombers to demoralize the government.

A day earlier, two men attacked the capital's sea port. One of them blew himself up and killed a civilian. AP