Captain killed by Somali pirates

Somali pirates have boarded a ship heading for Mogadishu harbor and killed its Syrian captain, according to Somali officials.

The captain had refused the pirates' demand to turn the ship away from the port, officials added.

Three crew members were reportedly also injured in the violence.

African Union peacekeeping troops and Somali police launched an operation against the pirates and rescued the Panama-flagged ship.

Somalia's Minister for Ports Abdiasis Hassan told the Reuters news agency that normally police are sent out to escort commercial ships into port.

But he said this time the pirates were already on board and opened fire injuring one policeman.

Pirate attacks have been common off the Somali coast, and international navies have been deployed to counter them.

Somalia has been without a functioning central government since 1991, allowing the pirates to operate in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.