Masked gunmen have stormed a mosque in Somalia's Puntland region, killing at least five visiting preachers from Pakistan.
Witnesses say the gunmen forced several Islamic preachers out of the
Tawfiq Mosque in Galkayo on Wednesday, and shot them nearby.
Five of the preachers died at the scene. Two other men were wounded.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the
leading Islamist insurgent group in Somalia, al-Shabab, condemned the
killings and vowed to seek revenge.
Puntland, a semi-autonomous region, has been relatively peaceful
compared to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, which sees near-daily
violence and killing.
Somalia has not had an effective government for 18 years, since 1991
when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and
plunged the country into civil war.