Al-Shabaab Kills One, Captures Six From UN Helicopter

Al-Shabaab militants killed one person and kidnapped six others from a United Nations helicopter on Wednesday after it crash-landed in territory held by the Islamist group in central Somalia.

Al-Shabaab is an al Qaeda-linked terrorist group that has been carrying out an insurgency against the Somali government since 2006. It controls parts of southern and central Somalia and often targets civilians and attacks military establishments.

Helicopter incident: An internal UN memo said one of its helicopters “was struck by an object on the main rotor blade,” shortly after taking off from Beledweyne, a city in central Somalia. The aircraft was carrying medical supplies and was supposed to transport injured soldiers from the Galguduud region.

“[T]he flight landed safely with precaution,” according to the memo, but once down, al-Shabaab militants lit the helicopter on fire and seized most of its passengers.

• Six crew members were taken captive.
• Two escaped.
• One was shot dead while trying to run away.

The nine people on board were third-party contractors, not UN employees. “All UN flights have been temporarily suspended in the vicinity until further notice,” stated the memo.

Iran’s proxy: Al-Shabaab’s main goal is to establish a permanent Islamic state in Somalia. It is heavily supported by and often works closely with Iran. In 2022 we wrote:

One of Iran’s main goals is to create an Islamist proxy empire throughout the Middle East and Africa. Al-Shabaab is part of the strategy. [A]l-Shabaab and, by extension, Iran aren’t interested in Somalia alone.

Learn more: Read The King of the South.