Kismayu,(insidesomalia.org)-The National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) is shockingly condemning the targeted assassination of its Vice President Nasteh Dahir Farah, who was gunned down by gunmen southern town of Kismayu today (7 June 2008) around 19hrs Somalia time.

On his way back home, late Nasteh Dahir Farah was attacked by armed men who shattered bullets at his stomach and chesty. Nasteh, who works BBC Somali Serivce and also Freelancer for Reuters News Agency, died at the hospital 10 minutes after he was admitted. He was returning from work and no one identiled the killers or no claimed this brutal and dreadful killing. He was elected NUSOJ Vice President in 2005 at the General Assembly of the union in Mogadishu.

“We denounce this assassination in strongest terms possible and our Vice President reported several times threats to his life by unknown callers” said Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ Secretary General. “There is no authority in Somalia that bring into justice and no one is protecting journalists”.

It was three days before when the National Union of Somali Journalists appealed to the UN Security Council to protect Somali Journalists, whose safety is frequently endangered. “We will not stop our work for criminals who accustomed to make our professional a battlefield”. “No one protects Somali journalists and is targets of every armed group”.

On 28 January 2008, journalist Hassan Kafi Hared, 36, died around after remote-controlled mine exploded inside a road in Siyad Village of Northern part of Kismayu. Apart from the journalist who was walking in the road when the mine was detonated, two doctors working for Medecins Sans Frontieres-Holland and their Somali driver died in the attack. Parts of journalist's body were sprinkled to both sides of the road. No one was arrested for this deadly attack.

NUSOJ will soon release special report on the death of its Vice President Nasteh dahir Farah.

Source: National Union of Somali Journalists