Second Somali MP killed in Mogadishu

An armed man stands in front of the remains of the car in which a Somali lawmaker was assassinated and another wounded on April 21, 2014, in Mogadishu, in the latest in a series of bomb attacks in the war-ravaged capital.

MOGADISHU, Tuesday

Unknown gunmen shot dead a Somali lawmaker on Tuesday in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, who was the second Somali member of parliament (MP) killed in 24 hours, Radio Mogadishu reported.

Lawmaker Abdelaziz Isaq Mursal was shot dead as he left his home in the western district of Dherkenlay in Mogadishu, according to the report.

"The attackers escaped in a vehicle after the killing. Somali security forces arrived in the scene of the incident," Radio Mogadishu reported.

The killing of the MP comes a day after lawmaker Isaq Mohamed Riino was killed in a car bomb explosion.

PUSH OUT AL-SHABAAB

Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the killing of Riino and the militants vowed to continue targeting Somali government officials.

The killing of the MP was widely condemned by the Somali government, UN envoy and African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed said the killing was a cowardly act and vowed to bring to justice those behind the deadly bomb blast.

UN Somalia envoy Nicholas Kay described the killing as a terrorist act and called for a "full investigation" of the assassination of Riino while Amisom said the assassination was "unacceptable" as representatives of the Somali people, "any attack on MPs is an attack on the people."

Somali government officials vowed to tackle insecurity in Mogadishu which has lately been witnessing intermittent explosions and targeted killings of both civilians and government officials.

The extremist Al-Shabaab group has been pushed out of several key areas in the south and center of Somalia by Somali government and Amisom forces.