HornAfrik
February 2, 2009, in Mogadishu , Somalia
Masked gunmen repeatedly shot Tahlil, director of the independent broadcaster HornAfrik, as he several other senior journalists were walking through the Bakara Market area of the capital, according to CPJ interviews and news accounts.
The journalists had been summoned to a meeting with members of Al-Shabaab, a militant Islamist group that was apparently displeased with local coverage of the January 31 presidential election won by Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, a moderate Islamic leader. Al-Shabaab had rejected the election and considered the newly elected Ahmed to be a puppet of the west.
The other journalists escaped without serious injury, but Tahlil died at the scene. In a telephone interview, an Al-Shabaab spokesman denied responsibility for for the murder.
Tahlil became director of HornAfrik after the company's founder, Ali Sharmarke, was killed in August 2007 roadside bomb attack in Mogadishu. The director was best known for his Friday news program in which he discussed the week's top issues. Tahlil is survived by a wife and eight children.
Medium: Radio
Job: Publisher / Owner
Beats Covered: Human Rights, War
Gender: Male
Local or Foreign: Local
Freelance: No
Type of Death: Murder
Suspected Source of Fire: Political Group
Impunity: Yes
Taken Captive: No
Tortured: No
Threatened: Yes
