SA man gunned down while on a govt mission in Somalia

Mogadishu - A South African security trainer was killed by his bodyguard in Somalia's semiautonomous region of Puntland, officials said on Saturday.

Puntland's government said in a statement on Saturday that it had launched an investigation into Friday's killing. The statement identified the man as Lodewyk Pietersen, and said he worked for Saracen International, a security firm that trains anti-piracy forces in Puntland.

The statement said the South African was 55-years-old and married with children.

South African foreign ministry spokesperson Clayson Monyela said on Saturday no official word has been received from consular staff handling South African interests in Somalia.

"We have not yet been alerted to such an incident," he said.

The statement said the trainer was killed while accompanying Puntland's maritime forces on a government-approved mission targeting pirates near Hul-Anod, a coastal area favoured by pirates who use it as a base to hijack ships for ransom.

Pietersen was shot dead by his Somali bodyguard after an argument, according to a Puntland official who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter. The official said Puntland's security forces were hunting for the killer.

Somalia's prime minister recently said that al-Qaeda-linked militants were fleeing to mountainous hideouts in Puntland after facing increasing military pressure around Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government for more than two decades, is one of the most dangerous places for foreigners to work.