Somali woman killed for not wearing veil

Militant Islamists in Somalia have shot dead a Muslim woman for
refusing to wear a veil, her relatives say.

The nomadic woman was killed outside her hut near the southern Somali
town of Hosingow by gunmen belonging to the al-Shabab group, they
added.

The militants had ordered her to put on a veil, and then killed her
after returning and finding she was still not wearing one, the
relatives said.

An al-Shabab spokesman denied the group had killed the woman.

Al-Shabab does not fully control the area where she was living, he added.

The woman's relatives, who asked not to be identified for fear of
reprisals, told the BBC she was killed at about 07:30 (04:30 GMT).

Al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia,
imposes strict rules of behaviour, including dress codes for men and
women.