In Somalia, Al-Shabaab terrorists took the occupants of a UN helicopter hostage and killed one person. According to Somali authorities, two people escaped.
After a UN helicopter landed in an area in central Somalia controlled by the Islamist terrorist militia Al-Shabaab, four or five people are said to be in the hands of the Islamists. According to Somali authorities, the pilot and a Somali doctor managed to escape alive. The search for the two men in the bushland is ongoing, it was said.
The helicopter landed in the Al-Shabaab area on Wednesday for an unknown reason. According to Somali authorities, the Islamists killed an Egyptian on board the helicopter. The remaining passengers and crew members were therefore taken to an unknown location. According to unconfirmed reports, the Islamists then set fire to the helicopter.
UN: Medical Evacuation flight
The UN mission in Somalia confirmed an incident involving a helicopter. He was on his way to a medical evacuation flight. Efforts were underway to resolve the situation. So far, no spokesman for the terrorist militia has spoken out about the incident.
Regional Security Minister Mohamed Abdi Aadan confirmed the kidnapping of several passengers and crew members by the terrorist militia to the British broadcaster BBC on Wednesday. The helicopter is said to have landed in the area due to a technical defect.
The Al-Shabaab militia has been active in Somalia for more than 15 years and controls large areas, especially in the center and south of the country in the Horn of Africa. There is a strict interpretation of Sharia law in the areas there. Anything considered “Western” is forbidden.
The group has also carried out attacks in Uganda and Kenya and carried out assassinations of government officials, journalists and civil society representatives in Somalia.
In recent months, the Somali government has intensified its fight against the terrorist group linked to the al-Qaeda network. At the same time, international troops that were in the country to provide support began to withdraw.