Somalia’s Al-Shabaab Say They Shot Dead Lawmaker in Capital

(Bloomberg) — Islamist militant group al-Shabaab said it shot dead a Somali lawmaker in the capital, Mogadishu, hours before a scheduled vote of confidence in the new council of ministers.

Gunmen in a car opened fire on Abdullahi Qayad Barre after he left his house in the city’s Hamarjajab neighborhood on Monday, police officer Ahmed Omar said by phone. Security forces weren’t able to apprehend the suspects even after the area was cordoned off, Omar said. Barre was rushed to the Medina hospital where doctors were unable to save him, lawmaker Omar Dalha said by phone.

Al-Shabaab said its fighters would continue to target Somali officials and those of foreign governments that support the country’s administration, according to a statement cited by Radio Andalus, a broadcaster that supports the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.

Somali lawmakers later on Monday approved a new cabinet proposed by the nation’s prime minister, Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke, ending a two-month impasse over who will lead the country as it prepares for elections next year.