MOGADISHU, A security officer was killed and two others wounded in a gun attack on a checkpoint in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday evening, police sources said.

The sources said on Monday there was a gunfight after armed men raided the police checkpoint in Warta Nabada district.

A local resident told Xinhua on Monday the armed gang shot security officers manning the checkpoint with rifles.

“Heavy exchange of fire ensued thereafter. There was panic in the area and traffic was diverted to other roads,” the resident said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Islamist group Al-Shabaab has carried out frequent attacks in the country, many of them in Mogadishu, in its insurgency against the government.

Al-Shabaab has intensified its attacks as Somalia prepares for presidential election due on Nov. 30. Parliamentary elections are ongoing in various parts of the country.

source: Xinhua