US congressman comes under attack

Somali insurgents fired mortar shells towards US Congressman Donald Payne on Monday, as he was leaving on a plane from Mogadishu, but there were no casualties. Payne's trip to Somalia had been a rare visit by a US official.US congressman Donald Payne came under mortar fire Monday as he was leaving in a plane from Mogadishu airport, but no one was injured in the attack, an African Union official told AFP."The plane of the congressman was leaving and the mortars started falling. There were no casualties, but the attack was aimed at the congressman. He flew out safely," the AU official told AFP on condition of anonymity.Payne, congressman from New Jersey and a member of the foreign affairs committee, arrived in Mogadishu hours earlier for talks with President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and his prime minister on rampant piracy off the country's coast.His visit came the day after US forces shot dead three of four Somali pirates who had been holding an American captain hostage for five days in the Indian Ocean.A Somali pirate chief earlier Monday threatened to target Americans in revenge for the rescue of a US captain in a dramatic operation that saw naval snipers kill his captors.At a press conference earlier, Payne called for broader efforts against piracy off the lawless country's coast and defended Sunday's action that ended the five-day hostage standoff."Illegal activities must be dealt with, if you don't deal with criminal behavior then they will continue," he added.