Reuters quoted army Major Hassan Ali in Somalia on January 10 as saying that al-Shabaab members seized a United Nations helicopter carrying two Somali men and several foreigners when it made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the Islamic group.
Major Ali also said the helicopter had malfunctioned shortly after taking off from the city of Beledweyne in central Somalia, before it landed near the village of Hindhere, bordering the Galguduud region.
“There were two Somali men and some foreigners on board the helicopter. The helicopter was also carrying medical supplies and was supposed to transport wounded soldiers from the Galguduud area,” Ali said.
A United Nations helicopter
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An unnamed United Nations official told Reuters the helicopter belonged to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM). Two United Nations sources said the helicopter was carrying nine people.
The Washington Post also cited two sources from several international organizations in the Somali capital Mogadishu as saying that al-Shabaab had captured the crew of a United Nations helicopter that made an emergency landing on January 10. There is currently no information about UNSOM's response.
Al-Shabaab has been waging an insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 in an effort to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, according to Reuters.
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