Somalia - Security

Puntland intelligence officer killed in grenade attack

Source : AFP 29.04.2009

MOGADISHU, April 29, 2009 (AFP) - A senior intelligence officer in Somalia's northern breakaway region of Puntland was killed Wednesday in a grenade attack which also left a civilian woman dead, police and witnesses told AFP.

Unidentified attackers hurled a grenade on Lieutenant Colonel Yasin Sanweyne's vehicle in the Puntland town of Galkayo, witnesses said.

"The head of the Puntland intelligence service in the Mudug region died in the attack. He was initially admitted to hospital for died of his wounds," police officer Abdullahi Warsame said.

Witnesses said that a woman who was nearby when the grenade exploded also died, while several other people were believed to have suffered injuries.

"The vehicle caught fire when the grenade exploded. There was smoke everywhere and the police reached the area quickly, sealing off the area and detaining several suspects," local grocer Muse Haji Tunka said.

Another eyewitness, Fadumo Dahir, also said that a bystander was killed and counted at least five wounded.

The Puntland intelligence service (PIS) was established nearly a decade ago and has been at the centre of heated debate since Abdirahman Mohamed Farole was elected as president of the region in January.

Although officially part of the Puntland interior ministry, the PIS is believed to be largely funded by Western agencies and has often operated outside of the Puntland administration's authority.

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