Armed gunmen stormed into the International Committee of the Red Cross compound in Somalia's capital and abducted a female staffer, the aid group said Wednesday night.

The kidnapping in Mogadishu was the latest in a series of targeted attacks on aid workers in the long-chaotic Horn of Africa nation.

It came a day after a Somali employee with the World Health Organization was shot to death by two men who approached her in a busy market in the capital.

The German woman was abducted despite the presence of several security guards, police Capt. Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press.

He said the guards had been arrested.

Crystal Wells, the regional spokeswoman for the ICRC, called for the woman's immediate release.

"She was spending her days helping others," Wells added.

A statement by the Red Cross said the organization was in contact with "various authorities" to try to secure the woman's release.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday night's attack.