Mogadishu, May 30 (IANS): Militants in Somalia have stoned a man to death in front of hundreds of onlookers for allegedly cheating on his two wives, a media report said.

Dayow Mohamed Hassan, 44, was killed in the southern village of Ramo Adey by Al-Shabaab militants. Moalim Geedow, representing the Al Qaeda-linked insurgency, was quoted by Daily Mail, adding that Hassan was buried neck-deep in a hole then pelted with stones.

He said: "The man was married with two wives and (had) children. He was publicly stoned to death today (Monday) for committing adultery, according to the Islamic sharia."

The Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab has been fighting a violent insurgency to overthrow the weak UN-backed Somali government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islamic law.

In recent years, the militant group has lost control of many towns and cities to a 22,000-strong force of African Union peacekeepers.

However, the group retains a presence in the countryside and many villages and remains capable of launching deadly attacks.