Gunmen in Somalia shot dead a Kenyan teacher, police and witnesses said Thursday, in the latest attack to target foreigners in the restive central Galkayo region.
Witnesses said two men armed with pistols shot the teacher inside a college compound late Wednesday in Galkayo, a town straddling the border between the autonomous Puntland and Galmadug regions.
“A Kenyan teacher was shot dead inside the school building last night, the police are investigating,” local police officer Osman Mohamed told AFP.
“I heard gunshots inside the building, then two men came out running,” said Sudi Hassan, a nearby resident. “I saw the dead body of the teacher lying on the floor in a pool of blood.”
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motive for the killing was not clear.
“He was a very polite and nice teacher, I cannot imagine why anyone kills someone like him,” said Ahmed Nur Isa, a student at the college.
“This was an appalling and unjustifiable act.”
The lawless region is awash with guns and riven by multiple rival armed gangs.
Foreigners are particular targets. In April, two United Nations workers were executed in Galkayo.
Somalia’s Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab operate in the region, although unlike much of southern Somalia, it is not under their direct control.
-nation.co.ke
