The UN Security Council on Monday condemned the killing of two UN consultants in Somalia earlier in the day, and called on the Somali authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

"The members of the Security Council are outraged by the killing today of two UN personnel in Galkayo, Somalia," said a statement issued here by the 15-nation Security Council. "The members of the Security Council condemned the killings in the strongest terms."

The two UN staffers, one British and a French working with the UN anti-drug agency in Somalia, had reportedly flown into Galkayo to meet with Somali officials on the issue of regulating the money transfer services that replace a formal banking system in Somalia.

Sources from the airport said the two had been shot and killed close to the immigration office and the killing seemed to be a targeted assassination carried out by two assailants, reports said.

The members of the Security Council extended their condolences to the families of the victims, and also offered their condolences to the United Nations and to the governments of France and Britain.

"The members of the Security Council underlined their support to the peace and reconciliation process in Somalia," the statement said. "They reiterated that their determination to support the people of Somalia would not be reduced as a result of this or any other such act."

Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the "cold-blooded killing" of two colleagues working for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at Galkayo Airport in Puntland, Somalia, and called for a full investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The secretary-general, in a statement issued here by his spokesman, expressed his deepest condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the victims. He also urged relevant authorities to fully investigate this outrageous crime and to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay.