Jul 20, 2011

Somaliland: Officer Gunned Down in North


Somaliland officials and police officers continue to be at risk.

Below is an article published by Las Anod:

Las Anod — A female Somaliland officer was gunned down Sunday night by armed gunmen in a northern Somalia town.

Dahabo Ilmi, an officer in Somaliland's criminal investigation department, was killed at the center of Las Anod, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Hargeisa, the capital of the self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland.

Witnesses said three masked assailants armed with pistols conducted the assassination, which was the first of a female officer in Somaliland.

Somaliland police started search operations, although it is unclear if anyone was arrested in connection with the assassination.

No statement about the officer's killing was immediately available from authorities.

In April, masked men armed with pistols shot and wounded three people including a Somaliland police officer in the same town.

Since Somaliland took control of the Sool region from Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland in 2007, more than 12 Somaliland officials including police, military and intelligence officers have been killed in the region.