Monday, October 22, 2012
A journalist from Somalia's private radio station Radio Shabelle was seriously wounded late Sunday by unidentified gunmen as he left a mosque after evening prayers, colleagues and relatives said.
Mohamed Mohamud Turyare is the fifth journalist from Radio Shabelle to be attacked this year.
He was rushed to hospital after the incident and underwent surgery, a colleague said.
“They shot him several times after his evening prayers...at least four bullets hit him in the abdomen and chest,” Mohamed Ali, a relative of the victim said.
“We don't know why they have targeted him...he is a journalist and did not harm anybody”, he added.
Adan Mohamed, a colleague, said Turyare's condition had improved following the surgery.
After years of war, Somalia's capital Mogadishu has been coming back to life since the Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents left frontline fighting positions in August last year.
However the city has since been rocked by a string of attacks targeting journalists, 15 of whom have been killed so far this year according to Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based advocacy group.
Some of the attacks may be linked to power struggles within the many factions in power.
Reporters Without Borders has condemned the killings warning that “2012 could become the deadliest year of the past decade for media personnel in Somalia.” - AFP