MOGADISHU, Jan 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United Nations said that one of its helicopters “crash landed” in Somalia and some passengers were reportedly taken hostage by the militant group Al-Shabaab.
The chopper was carrying nine passengers and crew when it “crash landed” about 70km southeast of Dhusamareb, the capital of central Galmudug state, according to an internal UN memo.
The incident occurred in territory believed to be under the control of Al-Shabaab and six passengers were reportedly taken hostage by the militant group “although this cannot be independently verified”, read the memo.
It added one passenger was killed in unclear circumstances while two others fled to unknown locations.
The personnel were third-party contractors and not UN staff, the memo said, and one Somali national was involved. The nationalities of the others aboard were not specified.
“All UN flights have been temporarily suspended in the vicinity until further notice,” it stated.
When asked about the reports, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed the “incident involved a UN-contracted helicopter that took place today in Galmudug in Somalia”.
“Response efforts are underway,” he told reporters in New York.
“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, linked to al Qaeda, has been waging an insurgency against the Somali government since 2006 in a bid to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
While the government has managed to ward off the militants from several territories since the mid-2010s, Al-Shabaab controls swathes of land in southern and central Somalia and has continued to target civilians and stage attacks on military establishments. — NNN-AGENCIES