editor
Al Shabaab militants captured a United Nations 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.
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 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 Galguduud region,” he said.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia later confirmed there had been an incident involving a UN-contracted helicopter that was conducting an air medical evaluation. It said it was gathering information about what happened and response efforts were under way.
“For the sake of the safety of all those on board, we’re not going to say anything more at this point. We are fully engaged in trying to resolve it,” Dujarric added.
Al-Shabaab has led a bloody 16-year insurgency against the fragile central government in Mogadishu, which has struggled to blunt their violence despite considerable foreign military support.
There was no immediate comment from the Somali government about Wednesday’s incident.
Additional Soirce :Aljazeera
