Mogadishu - Somali gunmen attacked a local aid worker near the restive country's capital, killing one person and wounding two others, said an official who survived the attack.

The armed men attacked the home of Mohamed Hassan Orow, who heads a local NGO, in a town south of Mogadishu late on Thursday, sparking a firefight with the security guards.

"Armed men attacked my house and one of my security guards was killed in the fire exchange," Orow said.

The machine-gun armed assailants also wounded two people, said witness Mohamed Hassan.

Aid workers have been frequently targeted by gunmen in the lawless country, where millions of war-battered citizens are in need of humanitarian assistance. - AFP