Dubai's P&O Ports confirms death of staffer in Somalia

DUBAI, UAE - Dubai government-owned P&O Ports said on Monday an employee working in Somalia's Puntland had died and three others injured in an "incident" without giving further details.

Gunmen had killed the head of operations of P&O Ports' Bossaso Port on Monday, a Puntland provincial governor said earlier. Islamist militant group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

"P&O Ports, a Dubai government-owned entity, confirms the death of an employee at Bossaso Port, Puntland today. Three other employees have been injured in this morning’s incident, and all are currently receiving medical treatment," Dubai's government media office said on Twitter.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group says it killed the manager of a Dubai government-owned port operator in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

P&O Ports has acknowledged one of its employees was killed and three others injured in an "incident" Monday at its operations in Bosaso Port.

The government-run Dubai Media Office tweeted the information on behalf of P&O Ports, saying an investigation is ongoing.

P&O Ports did not answer a phone call Monday. It signed a 30-year, $336 million deal in 2017 to develop the Bosaso Port.

Al-Shabab claimed the attack, saying it targeted a company that "occupies" Bosaso.

Puntland is an oil-rich region of northeast Somalia on the Gulf of Aden.

Dubai-owned DP World port operator also is operating a major port in Somalia's breakaway territory of Somaliland.