Two British teachers shot dead in Somalia

Two British teachers working in war-torn Somalia have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen, the Foreign Office said today.

They are believed to be a husband and wife team working for a children's organisation in the Sahel region of the country, a well-known al Qaeda stronghold.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm that two British nationals were killed yesterday evening in Somalia. Next of kin have not yet been informed and, therefore, it would be inappropriate to release any further details."

It is believed that the Britons were killed while watching television at the local school where they worked.

It is thought they had been working for SOS Kinderdorf International, an umbrella organisation of the SOS Children's Village association. It offers support to communities in 131 countries.

The killings come less than three weeks after the murder of a highly respected Italian doctor who ran the country's main TB clinic and was leading the national Aids awareness campaign. Police are still hunting the killer of Annalena Tonelli, 60. No motive has yet been established.

The US believes terrorists based in the country launched attacks in Mombasa last year.