( Xinhua) -- Mohamed Omar Habeeb, mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, was dismissed from his post Tuesday in a decree issued by the Somali Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein, government spokesman said. Habeeb, also known as Mohamed Dheere, has been mayor of Mogadishu and the governor of Banadir region since 2007 after he was appointed by the former prime minister Ali Gedi. Abdi Haji Goobdoon, spokesman for Somali transitional government, told reporters that the prime minster, after meeting with his cabinet, decided "to relieve the Mayor and Governor of his duties."
He said the mayor was fired because of the continuous insecurity in the capital and the lack of competence in his administration. Mohamed Dheere has been accused of heavy-handedness during his tenure.