Garowe — Two men accused and convincted in court for the assassination of Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah, the Mufti of Puntland, were executed by Puntland military court Tuesday in the capital Garowe, Garowe Online reports.

The two men - Abdirahman Hussein Jama Bile and Abdullahi Osman Ahmed (Aynte) were executed by a Puntland firing squad, with Puntland officials including members of the judiciary, security chiefs and relatives of the late Sheikh Abdulkadir present for the execution.

Sheikh Abdulkadir was gunned down during afternoon prayers inside Badr mosque in Garowe on Friday Feb. 15, 2013, and the killer - Bile - was captured by the public after he attempted a violent escape.

The other convicted member of Al Shabaab terrorist network, Mr. Aynte, escaped to neighboring Somaliland but was returned to Puntland authorities on March 13, at the conclusion of dialogue between Puntland and Somaliland officials.

On May 24, the Puntland military court sentenced two death seven persons responsible for the killing of Sheikh Abdulkadir. Five of them were sentenced in absentia, court records reveal.

The convicted men lost an appeals case and the Puntland military appeals court upheld the death verdict on July 16.

On Feb. 16, Puntland government leaders, Somali federal government officials, Islamic scholars from all regions of Somalia, and the Puntland public attended the funeral of Sheikh Abdulkadir in Garowe, where Puntland leader Abdirahman Mohamed Farole and the Islamic scholars blamed Al Shabaab militants for the sheikh's assassination.

On Feb. 24, thousands of people took to the streets in Garowe and condemned Al Shabaab group for the wave of terrorism attacks in Somalia.

On April 30, Puntland military court in Bossaso executed 13 persons including a woman. The executed prisoners were convicted of conducting killings and terrorism attacks in Puntland on behalf of Al Shabaab group, including the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Haji Abdirahman in Bossaso in Dec. 2011.

After the executions, Al Shabaab's spokesman Ali Dheere threatened more terrorist attacks in Puntland targeting judiciary personnel and the security forces.

Puntland government officials blame Al Shabaab for a wave of killings and terrorism attacks targeting government officials, security forces and prominent civilians. In 2010, Puntland troops stormed Al Shabaab's mountain hideouts in the Golis mountain range, killing more than 100 militants in the military offensive

GAROWE ONLINE