MOGADIHSU, Somalia (AA) - A Somali colonel was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in western part of capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency.
Col. Yahya Haj Ali was assassinated while he was going to his office at the Ministry of Defense, eyewitnesses present at the scene said.
Ali died on the spot. The attackers fled before police arrived at the crime scene.
No group immediately claimed responsibility of the attack, but responsibility for similar attacks has been claimed by the al-Shabaab militant group.
The group had claimed last Sunday’s twin suicide attack that killed at least 13 people and dozens injured in Galkayo, central Somalia.