Somali Islamist commander gunned down in capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia  -  An Islamist spokesman says gunmen have killed a senior member of Somalia's insurgency in the country's capital.

 

Hizbul Islam spokesman Mohammed Osman Aros says the group does not know who killed Ahmed Abdurahamn Odawa, known as "Taliban".

Local resident Mohamud Aden says Odawa's bodyguard and a nearby civilian were also killed.

The attack follows clashes between the Islamic Party and al-Shabab over revenues generated in the southern port town of Kismayo. It was unclear whether the al-Shabab group was responsible for the attack.

Three people were killed and six injured in a separate incident Friday. Local resident Salad Ahmed says he saw the bodies after the Islamic Party attacked a government base in the central Somali village of Bacda. [adm/hiiraan]