Somalia's oldest lawmaker shot dead in al-Shabaab attack

A prominent Somali lawmaker was shot dead late on Saturday in an area north of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, a policeman has said.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein said Osman Elmi Boqore, the country's oldest legislator estimated to be over 80, was shot dead by gunmen who pulled up near his car as he was being driven through Karan district.

Somalia's extremist al-Shabaab militant group, which is allied with al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the killing of Boqore, an outspoken politician and one of the country's longest-serving members of parliament.

President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and his prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire condemned the assassination, instructing security services to investigate.

Al-Shabaab has previously carried out attacks against government officials, African Union peacekeepers and United Nations staff in a deadly campaign of suicide bombings and gun attacks.

Militant attacks have continued despite al-Shabaab being ousted from its bases in Mogadishu in 2011.

Last month, al-Shabaab militants killed 21 people in an attack on a luxury hotel and shopping mall complex in Kenya's capital of Nairobi.

The attack demonstrated al-Shabaab's continued ability to carry out spectacular acts of bloodshed despite US-backed military action against the group.