Somalia’s authorities is working to rescue the passengers of a United Nations helicopter that was captured by al-Shabab fighters, a spokesperson mentioned on Thursday, however army officers mentioned it could be tough to entry the world the place they had been taken.
The helicopter took off from town of Beledweyne and landed near Gadoon village within the Galgaduud area as a consequence of a technical glitch, an inside UN memo seen by Al Jazeera acknowledged.
“The federal government has been endeavor efforts to rescue the crew since yesterday when the accident occurred, and efforts nonetheless go on,” Info Minister Daud Aweis advised Reuters information company. He didn’t present some other particulars.
In accordance with the memo, there have been 9 passengers on the airplane, together with army personnel and a third-party contractor. A minimum of six of the passengers had been reportedly seized by al-Shabab.
Colonel Abdullahi Isse, who is predicated within the city of Adado, about 100km (60 miles) north of Hindhere, advised Reuters that troops within the space had no plans to launch a rescue mission.
“No forces have gone to rescue them. I don’t consider they may escape,” he mentioned. “The world has been managed by al-Shabab for over 10 years, and even the residents there are pro-al-Shabab.”
In a quick assertion on Wednesday, the UN mentioned “response efforts” had been underneath method.
The UN World Meals Programme (WFP), the biggest humanitarian operator in Somalia, additionally mentioned the helicopter didn’t belong to it or the UN Humanitarian Air Service and that none of its personnel was on board.
It mentioned in a submit on social media website X that each one WFP flights within the space had been quickly suspended as a precaution.
Al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, has been attempting to overthrow the Somali authorities since 2006 in a bid to determine its personal rule based mostly on a strict interpretation of Islam.
It has 1000’s of fighters, most in its strongholds within the centre and south of the nation. A authorities offensive since 2022 has managed to recapture some territory in central Somalia, however the marketing campaign suffered vital setbacks final yr.
