Somali Extremists Kill One Person and Capture 5 Others From UN Helicopter

Somali Extremists Kill One Person and Capture 5 Others From UN Helicopter
Armed al-Shabab terrorists ride on pickup trucks as they prepare to travel into the city, just outside the capital Mogadishu, in Somalia, on Dec. 8, 2008. (Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo)
The Associated Press
1/10/2024
Updated:
1/10/2024
0:00

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Officials in Somalia say al-Shabab extremists on Wednesday killed one person and captured five others on a United Nations helicopter that made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the terrorists.

The minister of internal security of Galmudug state in central Somalia, Mohamed Abdi Aden Gaboobe, told The Associated Press by phone that the helicopter made the landing due to engine failure in Xindheere village.

The minister said seven passengers were on board: six foreigners and one Somali national. He said al-Shabab captured five passengers and another was shot dead while trying to escape. One passenger remained at large.

Al-Shabab has not claimed responsibility for the attack. The United Nations office in Somalia didn’t immediately respond to questions.