Members of Al Shabaaban affiliate of al-Qaeda in Somalia, captured this Wednesday a United Nations (UN) helicopter carrying two Somali men and several foreigners after it was forced to make an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamist group, according to a official report reports Maghreb country according to Portal.
The plane apparently had a problem shortly after taking off from the central town of Beledweyne SomaliaCommander Hassan Ali informed this to the above-mentioned agency before landing near Hindhere village on the border with Galguduud region. “There were two Somali men and several foreigners on board. “It also transported medical supplies and was intended to transport wounded soldiers from the Galguduud region,” he explained.
A worker who U.N. For her part, she explained that the plane belonged to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and that there were up to five foreigners among the crew. Two other UN sources have increased the number of people transported by helicopter to nine. Portal was unable to independently verify the identities of those arrested or their nationality.
However, “The New York Times” assures this. Six passengers remain captive, two escaped and one died said Somali officials who spoke to this American media on condition of anonymity. The condition and whereabouts of the two people who fled are unknown.
Al Shabaab, which, as previously mentioned, is linked to Al Qaeda, has been leading an insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 with the aim of overthrowing it and establishing an Islamic State based on a strict interpretation of terrorism Sharia.
However, the Somali executive has been able to drive the militants out of several areas of the country for some time a decade and a halfAl Shabaab controls large parts of southern and central Somalia and continues to attack civilians and carry out attacks on military facilities.
The UN Support Office in Somalia He has not yet responded to questions from the media or provided further details.