Bossaso, Somalia — Puntland authorities in northern Somalia say they have la unched a manhunt to capture the killer of a traditional elder , who was killed by a lone gunman Saturday afternoon in t he port city of Bossaso, Garowe Online reports.

Suldan Musse Farah Onkod was killed in Puntland's commercial capital Bossaso by an unidentified gunman. Authorities rushed to the scene and conducted a manhunt, however the gunman fled the area.

Puntland authorities told GO that an investigation was ongoing and that they received good leads promising that the killer would be brought to justice.

In a statement made to Somali press shortly after the killing, Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole s tated that anti-peace groups were behind Suldan Onkod's killing.

President Farole sent his condolences to Suldan Onkod's family and friends and stated that the Suldan's killing would not go unpunished.

In recent years, targeted assassinations in Puntland have decreased d ramatically as authorities have improved security after crackdowns that netted Al Shabaab cells in Puntlan d .