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Somali Journalist Kidnapped by Gunmen in Mogadishu


FILE - In this photo taken March 22, 2014, a Somali journalist is seen in Mogadishu, Somalia.
FILE - In this photo taken March 22, 2014, a Somali journalist is seen in Mogadishu, Somalia.

A journalist from the independent Somali television station Goobjoog was abducted at gunpoint Saturday outside Mogadishu after receiving “threatening” phone calls overnight, his wife said.

Television news producer Hanad Ali Guled was outside his home and headed to work when six masked men kidnapped him early Saturday.

Ahmedwali Hussein, an editor at the station, said Guled called his family from an unknown location and told them he was being tortured.

In a post on its website, Goobjoog said the threats Guled received were related to his work on drought-relief campaigns. Guled is the co-founder of Media for Aid, a program aimed at encouraging people to help drought victims.

No one so far has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Goobjoog is calling for his immediate release.

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