Gunmen kill freelance journalist in Somalia`s Puntland

USPA News - A 25-year-old freelance journalist was killed late on Tuesday when he was shot by unidentified gunmen in the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland, his colleagues said on Wednesday, making it Somalia`s third murder of a journalist so far this year. Abdirisak Ali Abdi, nicknamed Silver, was shot by two gunmen in the Xero Daraawiishta area of the north-central city of Galkacyo, which is divided into a northern zone controlled by Puntland and a southern zone controlled by the Galmudug government.

The murder occurred in the city`s northern zone. "The journalist was killed by two hooded men in the town. The attackers escaped the area immediately," local official Mohamed Abduahi Kooshin said. Feysal Khalif, the chairman of the Media Association to Puntland (MAP), also confirmed Abdi`s killing, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ). A motive was not immediately known and no group claimed responsibility for the murder of the journalist, who contributed to Radio Daljir and Horncable Television. NUSOJ Secretary General Mohamed Ibrahim strongly condemned the attack and called on the Puntland authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. "We condemn the cold blooded murder of our colleague. The government must swiftly launch an independent investigation into the matter and bring the killers to justice," he said. "The killers must not escape unpunished." Abdi is survived by his wife and two sons.