A Somali general and at least seven of his bodyguards were killed today when their vehicle was rammed by a car bomb driven by the suicide attacker of the Islamist group al Shabaab in the capital Mogadishu. <br/><br/>This was confirmed by the police . Al Shabaab, which frequently launches attacks on officials in Mogadishu, staged this attack in the build-up to a vote for a new parliament and president. <br/><br/>Al Shabaab, which once ruled much of Somalia, wants to topple the Western-backed government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is seeking re-election in the upcoming vote.<br/><br/>Voting for the 275-seat parliament is scheduled to start on September 25 and end on October 10. The new lawmakers will, in turn, pick a president on October 30.