Gunmen kill six in attacks on two Somali mosques.In less than 24 hrs, another mosque in Somalia attacked

Puntland state . somalia  Gen. Yusuf Ahmed Khayr

(Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen fired on worshippers at mosques in Somalia's self-proclaimed state of Puntland, killing at least six people and wounding dozens, residents and security officials said Sunday.
Residents believe the attacks targeted mosques run by al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels, blamed for a roadside bombing a few hours before that killed a prominent cleric who was also a senior Puntland government official.The mosque attacks Saturday evening and Sunday morning in Galkayo killed a total of six people, prompting local authorities to order all mosques in the town to close temporarily for fear of further attacks.Somalia has been torn by civil war since 1991, .Puntland has been relatively peaceful compared with the rest of the Horn of Africa country but violence and instability have increased of late. The northern region is also a major base for pirates causing havoc to shipping off the Horn of Africa."Tension is very high and now the terrorists are regrouping for battle. I am afraid all mosques will be closed for fear of fighting and explosions," cleric Sheikh Hussein told Reuters."It appears to be a declaration of religious war," Mohamed Ali Yusuf, a Puntland security official, told Reuters."We have seized several suspects. We are conducting investigations and our forces are patrolling in the town."Earlier Saturday, a prominent moderate Sufi cleric who was a senior official in Puntland's justice and religion ministry was killed in the city after a remote controlled bomb exploded near his car, hours before the first mosque attack."I have no doubt that al Shabaab is responsible for the assassination of the cleric because he was lobbying to eliminate them from the region," Sheikh Osman Moalim, a cleric, told Reuters from Galkayo.Al Shabaab is waging a four-year-old insurgency to topple the Western-backed Somali government.Somalia has been mired in conflict and awash with weapons since the downfall of Mohamed Siad Barre 20 years ago. It has become a haven for foreign jihadists bent on striking the region's main economies, security experts say.

In less than 24 hrs, another mosque in Somalia attacked

GALKA’YO (tf.sf) – At least one person was killed and another wounded after unknown gunmen armed with AK 47 assault rifles and pistols stormed a mosque in Galka’yo town, the regional capital of Mudug region in central Somalia.The attack, which took place at Subah prayer, was the second attack on second mosque in the same town in less than 24 hours.Assailants are said to have sprayed the worshipers with live rounds of bullets and then captured several clerics taking them to unknown destination, according to local residents and eyewitnesses.Shortly after the incident, a large number of Puntland security forces have reached at spot commencing search operations in the area.No arrests were so far reported from the town of Galka’yo, about 700 KM north of Mogadishu.At least 4 people were killed at more that 10 others wounded after gunmen overnight attacked a mosque in Galka’yo town, the regional capital of Mudug region in central Somalia.It was evening when the attackers got into the mosque named Salahudin and started to opening fire at the people who came to the mosque for worship.These events came hours after the director of religious affairs ministry of Puntland, Sheikh Isma’il Hashi Hussein was killed in the roadside bomb blast.

my take: Gaalkacyo is out of control

Puntland's level of insecurity is brimming under the radar, actually reminds me of Kismaayo before Shabaab took over. Assasinations and silent extra-judicial killings. Two days the minister of religion and conduct of Puntland was bombed, and in retaliation a group stormed a mosque opening fire...actually it seems like akhwaan  aka shabaab  vs. suufi playing tit for tat..now the mayor of Gaalkacyo says Gaalkacyo is getting to becoming uncontrollable and out of Puntland security control