Al-Shabaab extremists attacked a United Nations helicopter that made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the extremists in Somalia on Wednesday, killing one passenger and abducting five others.
The minister of internal security of Galmudug state in central Somalia, Mohamed Abdi Aden Gaboobe, reported that the helicopter landed due to engine failure in Xindheere village.
UN Helicopter Attack
According to Gaboobe, seven passengers were on board, including six foreigners and one Somali national. He reported that one passenger was shot dead while attempting to escape, and al-Shabaab captured five hostages. One passenger remained at large.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric confirmed that an incident involving a UN-contracted helicopter occurred in Galmudug. Gaboobe claimed that the extremists set fire to the helicopter after confiscating what they thought was important.
Dujarric said the response efforts are underway, and they were fully engaged to resolve the issue. However, he would not provide further details for the safety of passengers on board.
The nationalities of the passengers were not immediately available. An aviation official confirmed that the helicopter carrying medical personnel and soldiers was headed to Wisil town for a medical evacuation.
Following the Somali president's demand for "total war" on the rebels, Al-Shabaab intensified attacks against the Somali military in recent months after losing control of some territory in rural areas to a military offensive.
Al-Shabaab continued to extort millions of dollars annually from residents and businesses in its quest to impose an Islamic state. The extremists still control parts of southern and central Somalia and carry out attacks in the country's capital, Mogadishu.
UN Mission on Somalia
Due to the widespread insecurity, the UN and other humanitarian organizations travel around Somalia by air. The UN mission in the Horn of Africa provides humanitarian aid in a country periodically hit by deadly drought and with one of the world's least developed health systems.
Furthermore, the UN mission also supports a 19,000-strong multinational African Union peacekeeping force to hand over security responsibilities to Somali troops in the upcoming months.
Last month, Somalia's government applauded the UN security council's vote to lift the arms embargo placed on Somalia more than thirty years ago, which would help modernize Somali forces.
On Wednesday, Dujarric spoke to Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the president of Somalia, and UN secretary-general António Guterres to discuss the agreement signed on January 1 between Ethiopia and the breakaway territory of Somaliland to give landlocked Ethiopia access to part of its coast.
According to ABC News, the agreement has been rejected by Somalia's president, who called it a violation of international law.
"The secretary-general recalled that the security council has repeatedly affirmed the respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of Somalia," Dujarric said. He also hoped that all parties would engage in peaceful and constructive dialogue to refrain from any actions that could further escalate the situation.
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