MOGADISHU, Somalia, Sept. 18 -- Somalia's interim president narrowly escaped an assassination attempt Monday when a suicide car bomber struck outside the parliament building, officials said. The blast and a subsequent gun battle left 11 people dead, including the president's brother.

There was no immediate assertion of responsibility for the attack in Baidoa, the only town controlled by the U.N.-backed interim government. But if it is linked to an Islamic militia that has seized control of much of southern Somalia, it could cause peace talks between the two sides to fall apart.