Witnesses: Somali Lawmaker Killed in Mogadishu

Posted July 31st, 2011 at 12:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Witnesses say a member of Somalia's parliament has been shot and killed in the capital, Mogadishu.

Khalif Jire Warfaa was killed Sunday in Mogadishu's Hamar Weyne district.

Another member of parliament, who witnessed the shooting, tells VOA that two gunmen wearing masks opened fire on Warfaa as he came out of the Marwaas mosque.

The lawmaker who spoke with VOA asked not to be identified.

The Marwaas mosque is located in a government-controlled part of Mogadishu that has been peaceful in recent weeks.

Sections of Mogadishu are controlled by the militant Islamist group al-Shabab, which is fighting to topple the Somali government.

There were no other reported injuries from Sunday's shooting, and no immediate claim of responsibility.