Witnesses in Somalia say gunmen have killed the head of an orphanage near the capital, Mogadishu.

Abdikadir Yusuf Kariye was shot dead by unidentified assailants late Wednesday in the town of Lafoole.

Reuters news agency reports that Kariye's orphanage is home to 370 children.  There has been no claim of responsibility for the killing.

Attacks on aid workers in Somalia have forced some relief agencies to suspend their operations, endangering hundreds of thousands of people who rely on food aid and medical aid.

The United Nations has warned of a possible humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government in 17 years.

Some information for this report was provided by Bloomberg and Reuters.