Major Hassan Ali said the plane had malfunctioned shortly after taking off from the central Somali city of Beledweyne, before landing near the village of Hindhere, bordering the Galguduud region.
Al Shabaab fighters in Somalia. Photo: AP
“There were two Somali men and some foreigners on board. It was also carrying medical supplies and was supposed to transport wounded soldiers from the Galguduud area,” he said.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) later confirmed that there had been an incident involving a UN helicopter on a medical mission. They are gathering information about what happened and response efforts are underway.
A UN official earlier said the plane had five foreign crew members. Two UN sources familiar with the matter said the plane was carrying nine passengers.
Al Shabaab, which is linked to Al Qaeda, has been waging an insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 in an effort to establish its own rule based on strict Islamic Sharia law.
Although the Somali government has driven the militants from some territory since the mid-2010s, Al Shabaab still controls large swaths of southern and central Somalia. They regularly target civilians and carry out attacks on military facilities.
Hoang Anh (according to Reuters, AJ, CNN)
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