Former Somali army officer killed in Makadishu

A former Lt. Gen. in the army allied with the new government in Somalia was killed in Makadishu on Wednesday when gunmen opened fire on him.

Eye-witnesses said that four gunmen opened fire on Lt. Gen. Youssef talan Ali after he refused their request to join their car while he was leaving a hotel in the city. The former Lt. Gen. died upon his arrival at a nearby hospital after he was hit by bullets in his chest and head while the gunmen had fled and it was known whether they were planning on killing or kidnapping them.

Talan was a Lt. Gen. in the army under the reign of the former Somali President Muhammad Seyad Berri who was toppled and a civil war flared as a result among the warring Somali tribes. Talan was a member in the committee formed to set a plan to dismember the numerous tribal militias in the country and the gunmen gangs.