MOGADISHU, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Suspected al-Shabab gunmen killed a senior police chief of Warta Nabada district in a drive-by shooting in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said on Friday.
The official identified as Moalim Dahir Hussein was on his way to work when gunmen opened fire on his car in Hamar Bile village.
"We got the information about the killing of the police commissioner of Warta Nabada and his driver, we are trying to get more details on the incident," Mohamed Ali, a police officer, told Xinhua.
Witnesses said the armed men escaped from scene after assassinating the police officer. "We heard gunshots and people said a police officer was killed in the attack," Muhidin Hajji, a resident, told Xinhua.
The militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the killing.
The incident comes barely three days after the al-Qaida affiliated group had fired mortar shells on African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base camp, resulting in the injuries of two United Nations staff members and a contractor.
Somalia forces backed by the AMISOM ousted al-Shabab from the capital Mogadishu in August 2011, but the terror group is still in control of several areas in southern Somalia.
