Somali journalist killed in car bombing: colleagues

Security forces personnel investigate the scene of a car bomb which killed Somali journalist Hindiyo Haji Mohamed in the Hodan neighborhood of Mogadishu on December 3, 2015. By Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP)

Mogadishu (AFP) - A Somali journalist was killed when a bomb exploded under her car in Mogadishu on Thursday, colleagues said.

Hindiyo Haji Mohamed, a journalist with the national television station, SNTV, was returning home from university when the bomb detonated. She later died of her wounds.

Mohamed's late husband, also a journalist with the same television station, was killed in a suicide attack on a Mogadishu restaurant in 2012.

"Hindiyo died at the hospital of the serious injuries she sustained, we are very sorry about her death," said Abdirahin Ise Ado, director of Radio Mogadishu.

"We condemn the killing... she was dedicated to serving her county and the people," said Minister for Information Mohamed Abdi Heyr Mareye in a statement.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Al-Qaeda's East Africa branch, the Shebab, carry out regular attacks against government officials and journalists, who are also targeted for assassination by businessmen and politicians who object to their reporting.

Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries for journalists to operate, with some attacks believed linked to score-settling within the multiple factions in power.

The Shebab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is protected by 22,000 African Union troops.

Meanwhile, fighting raged in the central Somali town of Galkayo, despite a peace deal signed by rival forces from Galmudug and Puntland districts on Wednesday.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday welcomed the deal, which he said "shows the political maturity of our people and leaders towards promoting peace and development."

But security sources said fighting resumed soon after the president's statement.

The Galmudug administration on Thursday said residential areas had been hit by "all kinds of weapons including tanks, artillery and mortars indiscriminately."