Al-Shabab militants kill 1, capture 6 on UN helicopter

Islamist militants killed one person and abducted several more after a UN helicopter made an emergency landing. Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government since 2006, aiming to establish an Islamic state.

Members of the militant Islamic group al-Shabab killed one person and kidnapped six others after technical problems forced a UN helicopter to make an emergency landing in territory controlled by the group, according to Somali officials.

An internal UN memo seen by the French news agency AFP said a UN aircraft had “crash landed” roughly 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Dhusamareb, the capital of the central Somali state of Galmudug.

Mohamed Abdi Aden Gaboobe, minister of internal security for Galmudug, said the helicopter experienced engine failure and landed near the village of Xindheere.

Nine people were reportedly onboard the aircraft at the time of the incident; eight of them were foreign nationals. Two passengers managed to escape, and one was shot dead while attempting to flee.

The UN memo said reports of the abduction of passengers, “could not be independently verified.”

The memo went on to say that those onboard were third-party contractors and not UN employees, adding, “all UN flights have been temporarily suspended in the vicinity until further notice.”

Speaking to reporters in New York, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, “response efforts are underway,” but added: “For the sake of the safety of all those onboard, we’re not going to say anything more at this point. We are fully engaged in trying to resolve” the situation.

Al-Shabab has yet to claim responsibility. The nationalities of those individuals captured were not immediately clear.

Source: DW