Somali regional minister shot dead: Police

Somali soldiers patrol on a road between Mogadishu and Jowhar some 90 kilometers north of the Somali capital Mogadishu on 10 October 10, 2015. [MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP via Getty Images]

A Somali regional minister was shot dead by unknown gunmen in the town of Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region on Monday evening, police said, Anadolu reports

Abdifatah Hassan, a police official in Jowhar town, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that Hirshabelle State Agriculture Minister Abdukadir Abukar was shot dead minutes after the evening prayer.

“The gunmen attacked minister Abdukadir Abukar while he was going to his house from a nearby mosque,” Hassan said, adding the attackers fled the scene.

He said security forces rushed to the area and started an investigation into the incident.

Jowhar is the administrative capital of Hirshabelle State located 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the killing but authorities blamed al-Shabaab group for being behind the attack.

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