Al Shabaab militants captured a United Nations (UN) helicopter carrying two Somali men and several foreigners when it made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamist group, a military official said on Wednesday.
The aircraft encountered a defect shortly after taking off from Beledweyne city in central Somalia, Major Hassan Ali told Reuters, before it landed near Hindhere village, bordering the Galguduud region.
“Two Somali men and several foreigners were onboard. It was also carrying medical supplies, and it was supposed to transport injured soldiers from the Galguduud region,” he said.
When a United Nations helicopter made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamist organization, terrorists seized it, according to a military official.
Major Hassan Ali told Reuters that the aircraft suffered a fault immediately after taking off from Beledweyne city in central Somalia before landing near Hindhere hamlet, which borders the Galguduud region.
Al Shabaab was linked to al Qaeda since 2006 and has been waging an insurgency against the Somali government. He wanted to establish his own rule based on Islamic Sharia law.
With the government’s successful efforts to reduce as many terrorists as they can Since mid-2010, a large area of Southern and Central Somalia was under the hold of terrorist Al Shabaab. He continued to target civilians and military installations.
Requests for response were not immediately responded to by either Somalia’s government or the United Nations, according to the report by Reuters.
Origin
Although it is unclear when al-Shabaab was formed, it is understood to have originated as a wing of the Islamic Courts Union, an umbrella group that provided de facto governance in much of Somalia until the country was invaded by Ethiopia in December 2006.
Al Shabaab’s goals
- Overthrowing the central government
- Expelling foreign forces from Somalia
- Establishing an Islamic state
Al Shabaab’s history includes
- 2004: The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was founded in southern Somalia to combat lawlessness and banditry.
- 2006: Al-Shabaab broke away from the ICU and became an independent organization.
- 2006: Al-Shabaab took control of Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia.
- Late 2000s: Al-Shabaab has had close ties to Al Qaeda.
- 2011: Al-Shabaab is responsible for blocking aid from some Western relief agencies during the famine that killed tens of thousands of Somalis.
Leader of Al Shabaab Somalia
Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, abbreviated as Al-Shabaab, which means “The Youth,” is an Islamic terrorist organization headquartered in Somalia that has been active since 2006. Al-Shabaab seized control of Mogadishu in June 2006, backed by a warlord coalition.