By Abdinasir Mohamed, editor in-chief

GALKAYO (Sunatimes) — A Somali aid worker with World Food Programme was killed in the quiet central city of Galkayo on Friday, in one of the rare violence in the city, as security experts warned of rising violence in the region, residents said.

Officials in the regional Puntland semiautonomous region have criticised the security forces for "standing by and watching" as attacks against civilians slowly increase in the run-up to security crackdowns against Alshabaab extremists.

On Friday, a gunman fired at Hussein, a WFP driver with an automatic weapon, according to a police officer who did not want to be named.

The slayer fled together with two other men in the car.

"We condemn that barbaric, we are running after those behind the killing” Ahmed Ali Salad, the chairman of Galkayo told Sunatimes.

"The security forces should not be standing by and watching. We hold them responsible, because they are supposed to be protecting the people in the region” he added.

Residents in the region suspect the violence may be behind by Alshabaab, which claims violent blasts, killings and rampant violence in the country.

Galkacyo is the capital of the Mudug region, central Somalia; it’s divided into two zones, where the southern portion forms the administrative seat of the Galmudug state, while the main northern portion is part of the Puntland state. The city has an estimated population of 545,000.

SUNATIMES, SOURCE OF SOMALIA NEWS

Email us: [email protected]