Money transfer company official gunned down in Kismayo

The head of a money transfer company in Kismayo was Monday evening gunned down under unclear circumstances.

Sources in the coastal city said Abdullahi Abdisalam Ahmed who heads Amal Money Transfer company in the region was shot dead by gunmen who immediately fled the scene.

The circumstances surrounding the murder of the businessman remain unclear but such killings have happened in the past targeting the business community.

According to a recent UN report, traders in Kismayo and Mogadishu pay between $300 and $600 monthly to the militant group Al-Shabaab in form of taxes.

The group enforces penalties on defaulting traders through killings as has been witnessed in the past.

Officials in Kismayo have not commented on the killing of the businessman.