Somali journalist shot dead outside Mogadishu
Armed men shot dead a radio journalist outside Mogadishu on Saturday evening, police and the journalist union confirmed.
A police officer who requested not to be named confirmed the killing to Xinhua but noted that details regarding the shooting were still scanty.
“We have the information that a journalist was killed at Elasha Biyaha. We are trying to gather more information about the incident,” the officer said.
The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemning the attack.
“NUSOJ condemns the killing of Abdullahi Mire Hashi, 26, a journalist and director of Darul Sunna FM, a private radio which mainly broadcasts religious issues,” NUSOJ said. “He was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Saturday outside Mogadishu.”
“We urge the Somali authorities to take urgent measures to improve the safety of journalists & investigate the murder of Abdullahi Mire Hashi, a journalist & Director of Darul Sunna FM who was reportedly shot by 2 gunmen at Elasha” said Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu the Secretary General of NUSOJ
According to the director of Darul Sunnah radio, the slain journalist was a presenter of daily interactive morning talk show (This Morning on Darul Sunnah) a non political talk show that callers share audience the status quos of their residences. He added that he could not understand why who targeted him.
A resident told NUSOJ by phone the gunmen fled the scene after the killing.
“Gunmen brandishing pistols shot dead the man whom we were told is a journalist. They fled the scene immediately after gunning him down,” an eye witness
Abdullahi Mire is the third journalist murdered in Somalia this year. On July 26, Abdirisak Kasim of SBS TV was shot and killed by a policeman at a checkpoint in Mogadishu. The murderer escaped escort free and the security agencies of the Federal Government of Somalia are yet to arrest him. On September19 Abdirisak Saed of radio Codka Nabada (Voice of Peace), died in Galkaio of injuries sustained in a knife attack but to date, the perpetrators of that attack were not brought to justice.
