Sub-Saharan Africa
Sputnik brings you all the most recent information, major events, heroes and views, including breaking news, images, videos, analyses, and features.

Al-Shabaab Militants Burn Down UN Helicopter Seized in Somalia After Landing, Reports Say

© AFP 2024 AYMERIC VINCENOTAn army helicopter of the French army transporting marine commandos attached to the European Union naval Force (EUNAVFOR-Somalia) touches down during an operation at Bossaso, on the coast of Somalia's nothern semi-autonomous region of Puntland on March 27, 2014.
An army helicopter of the French army transporting marine commandos attached to the European Union naval Force (EUNAVFOR-Somalia) touches down during an operation at Bossaso, on the coast of Somalia's nothern semi-autonomous region of Puntland on March 27, 2014. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 12.01.2024
Subscribe
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Militants of the al-Shabaab* group (linked to the al-Qaeda* terrorist group) have burned down the UN helicopter in Somalia that landed in a territory controlled by them on Wednesday due to a technical failure, Somali news portal Garowe Online reported Thursday, citing sources.
Garowe Online reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that the helicopter "accidentally" landed in the territory controlled by al-Shabaab militants after a technical glitch near the town of Haradhere in the Galguduud administrative region of Somalia. The report further said that there were at least nine UN workers aboard the helicopter, adding that two UN employees managed to escape captivity, while others were still detained by militants.
Mohamed Abdi Adan, the minister of internal security of the Somali state of Galmudug, told Bloomberg later in the day that the militants killed one passenger and were holding five others hostage. The minister reportedly confirmed that the UN helicopter with soldiers and medical personnel was on an evacuation mission and landed in the Galguduud region after experiencing a mechanical failure.
A French-army helicopter transporting marines attached to the European Union naval Force - EUNAVFOR-Somalia takes off from the FS Sirocco heading towards Bossaso on the coast of Somalia's northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland on March 27, 2014. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 11.01.2024
Sub-Saharan Africa
UN Confirms Aviation Incident During Air Medical Evacuation in Somalia, Statement Says
The Wall Street Journal reported later in the day, citing the Somali military, that the nine people aboard the captured helicopter included two Kenyan medics, a Ugandan soldier, a Somali officer and an Egyptian doctor who was later killed by the militants.
The UN mission in Somalia confirmed on Wednesday that its contracted helicopter experienced an "aviation incident" during an attempt to carry out a medical evacuation.
Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based jihadist militant group linked to the al-Qaeda terrorist group. It wages armed resistance against the Somali government and obstructs UN humanitarian missions in the country.
*Terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other states.
Newsfeed
0