Gunmen kill one, kidnap three in Somaliland

Gunmen kill one, kidnap three in Somaliland

* Three kidnapped at roadblock

* Telecom company workers also kidnapped

By Hussein Ali Nur

HARGEISA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Gunmen have killed one man and kidnapped three others in Somalia's northern breakaway enclave of Somaliland on Wednesday in the latest eruption of violence in the relatively stable area, a government official said.

The incident occurred at a road block linking Ainabo and Las Anod near the border with Puntland.

"It was raining heavily when gunmen sneaked on the checkpoint ... in the early hours. They killed the guard, wounded a soldier and kidnapped two civilians and a soldier," Assistant regional governor for Serar, Ibrahim Jama Mohamed, said.

Mohamed said one civilian escaped, and the gunmen's car was found abandoned due to the muddy conditions on the road.

Somaliland is proud of its relative stability, unlike southern regions of the failed Horn of Africa state, where hardline al Shabaab insurgents control large amounts of territory and are fighting a weak Western-backed government.

But Wednesday's attack is a reminder that it is not immune to violence experienced in areas around it. Early this month, gunmen shot dead a senior security official.

Local media reported on Tuesday that five Somaliland Nation-Link Company telecoms workers who were on a inspection and survey tour in east Sanag were kidnapped by gunmen in the port town of Las Qorey in northern Somaliland a day before. "When they tried to leave Las Qorey, after completing their work gunmen stopped them from leaving ... after opening fire on their car," Abdillahi Mohamed Weyrah, a journalist in the area, told Reuters.

Nation-Link officials were not available to comment. (Editing by George Obulutsa)