Watchdog slams attack on Somali woman journalist

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A press rights watchdog condemned on Wednesday the attempted murder of the last woman openly working as a journalist in Somalia's northern Puntland region.

Reporters Without Borders said Bisharo Mohammed Waeys, a talk show presenter on the privately-owned Eastern Television Network, was driving to her home in Bosasso on Sunday when gunmen opened fire on her car. She sped away and was unhurt.

The next day she received two text messages threatening her life if she did not stop working at the station.

Given her "independent character" and that she presented her show unveiled, the watchdog said it suspected the Islamist al Shabaab militants who have killed Somali journalists in the past.

"Waeys's forced descent into life under guard symbolizes a serious step backwards for Somalia since the outbreak of war between the transitional government and Islamic insurgents," the press freedom organization said in a statement.

Mired in conflict since the 1991 fall of President Mohamed Siad Barre, Somalia is one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists.

(Writing by Daniel Wallis; editing by Sami Aboudi)

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