MOGADISHU, Somalia - A witness says a senior commander of the Somali insurgent group al-Shabab has been assassinated Saturday in an area tightly controlled by the militants. At least three masked men armed with pistols shot Sheikh Daud Ali Hassan several times in the head and chest as he was coming out of a mosque Friday night in Kismayo. Al-Shabab officials said they had arrested several suspects Saturday. Sheikh Abukar Ali Aden said the suspects would soon be brought before a court. The US State Department says al-Shabab militants have links to al-Qaeda. Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991 when warlords overthrew longtime dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The warlords then turned on each, plunging the Horn of Africa nation into anarchy.
