Puntland state lawmaker dies in hospital after he was shot in front of hotel
Suspected al-Shabaab gunmen killed a member of parliament in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland state late Wednesday, officials said.
Mohamud Ali, a police officer in Galkayo town, told Anadolu Agency by phone that Abdihakin Mo’alim Dahir, a Puntland state lawmaker, was shot in the town of Galkayo.
“Two suspected al-Shabaab gunmen killed Abdihakin Mo’alim Dahir soon after the evening prayer,” Ali said.
Dahir was shot in front of the Classic Hotel in the northern part of Galkayo, which Puntland controls. He was seriously wounded and rushed to a local hospital, where he later died, Ali said.
Ali said an investigation and security operations were conducted by the police after the incident.
According to local media, a security guard at the hotel was also killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, Somalia’s Internal Security Ministry said security forces killed two suspected al-Shabaab gunmen in Bakara market in the capital, Mogadishu.
“Two gunmen who wanted to cause problems to Somali people were killed by our security forces in Bakara market Wednesday after we received intelligence information,” ministry spokesman Abdi Asiis Ali Ibrahim told reporters.
By Mohammed Dhaysane
