By Ibrahim Mohamed

MOGADISHU, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The deputy governor of the Somali capital survived an assassination attempt on Saturday when his car hit a remote-controlled landmine in an attack by suspected insurgents, witnesses said.

Abdullahi Hassan Geney "Firimbi" escaped unhurt from the blast near a police training college in south Mogadishu but another official and two policemen were wounded.

"He is in shock," a close aide told Reuters, asking not to be named. "I believe he was the target. A district commissioner and two police officers guarding them were wounded but Firimbi did not sustain any injuries."

Somalia has been without a functioning government since the fall of military ruler Mohamed Siad Barre's regime in 1991, but violence has worsened since allied Somali-Ethiopian troops ousted Islamist fighters from Mogadishu in December 2006.

Islamist insurgents have stepped up attacks on government troops and their Ethiopian backers to almost daily frequency.

In further violence on Saturday, witnesses said a woman was killed in Mogadishu's Bakara market when suspected insurgents hurled a grenade at Somali police on patrol.

"Two gunmen threw a grenade at police and then opened fire before fleeing," Ahmed Muse, who witnessed the attack, said, adding that the police returned fire.

On Thursday, Uganda said it would send 250 extra soldiers to bolster a 1,600-strong African Union peacekeeping force that observers say has been largely ineffective, plagued by the failure of other nations to commit troops.

Addressing defence ministers from around the region on Friday, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki urged other African nations to make good on their promises to commit troops.

"To invest in peace and security is to ensure the development of our region," he said. (Additional reporting by Wangui Kanina in Nairobi)

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