A Somali military official announced on Wednesday that militants from Al-Shabaab captured a helicopter carrying two Somalian men and several foreigners after it was forced to make an emergency landing in an area controlled by the group.
Major Hassan Ali reported that the aircraft experienced a malfunction after taking off from the city of Baidoa in central Somalia before landing near the village of Hindher adjacent to the Galmudug region.
He added that the helicopter was transporting medical supplies alongside the passengers and was intended to evacuate injured soldiers from the Galmudug region.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia later confirmed the incident involved a helicopter under contract with the organization on a medical evacuation mission. They stated they are gathering information about the incident and that response efforts are underway.
According to the UN, one of its helicopters performed an emergency landing in Somalia amidst reports that Al-Shabaab had detained several of its passengers. An internal UN memo stated that the helicopter was carrying nine people, including the passengers and crew, when it made an emergency landing about 70 kilometers southeast of Dhusamareb, the capital of the Galmudug state in central Somalia.
Reports indicated that Al-Shabaab militants took six passengers hostage, while one passenger was mysteriously killed and two others escaped to unknown locations, as per the UN document.
The memo also indicated that "all United Nations flights in the surrounding region have been suspended until further notice."
Responding to questions about these reports, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed the incident, telling reporters in New York that "response efforts are ongoing."
"For the safety of everyone aboard the aircraft, we will not say more at this stage," he emphasized, stating, "We are fully engaged in trying to resolve it."
The Somali government has been waging war for years against Al-Shabaab, which was established at the beginning of 2004 and is affiliated with Al-Qaeda. The group has claimed responsibility for bombings that have killed civilians as well as military and police personnel.
Al-Shabaab was driven out of major cities between 2011 and 2012, yet it remains widespread in vast rural areas.
