(SomaliNet) Three local radio stations were on Wednesday stopped by Somalia's transitional government on from broadcasting from Somali capital Mogadishu. An AFP correspondent said Mogadishu-based stations Shabelle Radio, Radio HornAfrik and the Voice of the Koran radio stopped broadcasting early on Wednesday afternoon. "We have been ordered to close the radio station and we don't know why so far," Mohamed Amin, director of Shabelle, told AFP. "I have called some government officials to ask them why the radio stations have to close but they said we could discuss the issue later," he added.
However, Somali Government officials were not immediately available for comment but have in the past complained of pro-Islamist bias in the outlets' reporting.
In January the Somali government banned the same three Mogadishu broadcasters as well as Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television network for 24-hours following the ousting of an Islamist movement by Ethiopia-backed Somali troops at the start of the year.