MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least four people were killed in separate shootings in the Somali capital, Mogadishu and Afgoye district over the past 24 hours, Garowe Online reports.

The first incident took place at Koodka neighbourhood in the capital's Hamarweyne district when assailants shot and killed two civilians on Friday night, according to the eyewitnesses.

The killers managed to escape the scene before the arrival of the Police authorities.

The Islamist militant group Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the killings, saying the late men were spy agents working with the Country's National Security and Intelligence Agency [NISA].

In separate incidents in Afgoye district in Lower Shabelle region, two men, including a prominent local traditional elder have been assassinated by unidentified gunmen, thought to be Al Shabaab members.

The Elder identified as Ali Omar [Tawakal] was killed just after he walked out of a mosque on Friday, while the second victim was a Somali government soldier who has been executed in the town's market.

The Security officials of the Federal Government of Somalia are yet to comment on both shootings in Mogadishu and Afgoye, which were the latest in continuing killings in the Capital and nearby areas.

GAROWE ONLINE