According to a military official, Al Shabaab militants captured a United Nations helicopter that had to make an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamist group, carrying two Somali men and several foreigners.
The Major Hassan Ali told Reuters that the aircraft encountered a defect shortly after taking off from Beledweyne city in central Somalia before it landed near the village of Hindhere, bordering Galguduud region.
The official further explained, “Two Somali men and several foreigners were onboard. It was also carrying medical supplies and it was supposed to transport injured soldiers from Galguduud region.”
A UN worker, who requested to remain anonymous, revealed that the helicopter belonged to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and that the crew included five foreigners.
According to two UN sources familiar with the matter, the aircraft carried nine passengers in total.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the identities of those captured or their nationalities.
Al Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda, has been fighting against the Somali government since 2006 in an attempt to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
While the government has managed to fend off the militants from several territories since the mid-2010s, al Shabaab continues to control large areas in southern and central Somalia and has persisted in targeting civilians and staging attacks on military establishments.
As of now, spokespeople for the Somalia government and the UN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Abdi Sheikh in Mogadishu and Giulia Paravicini in Nairobi, Writing by Bhargav Acharya, Editing by Ros Russell)
