Nine civilians were executed by a local militia in war-torn Somalia after the killing of a policeman by the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, police said Saturday.
The revenge attack on Friday just outside Galkayo -- one of the most developed cities in the centre of the country -- targeted the Rahanweyn clan, several of whose members are suspected of being Shabaab fighters.
"This was a horrible incident, a gruesome killing against nine unarmed innocent civilians in southern Galkayo. All of the civilians belong to one clan and the gunmen shot them dead in one location a few minutes after suspected Shabaab gunmen killed" a policeman, Mohamed Abdirahman, a local police official said.
"This is an unacceptable act and we will bring those perpetrators to justice," said Hussein Dini, a traditional elder.
"Their killing cannot be justified. It seems that the merciless gunmen were retaliating for the security official who they believe was killed by Al-Shabaab gunmen belonging to the clan of the victims."
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