Somalia begins ‘efforts to rescue’ UN helicopter crew held by al-Shabab
Al Jazeera
The UN helicopter accidentally landed in al-Shabab territory on Wednesday, with 6 of 9 passengers taken hostage.
Somalia’s government is working to rescue the passengers of a United Nations helicopter that was captured by al-Shabab fighters, a spokesperson said on Thursday, but military officers said it would be difficult to access the area where they were taken.
The helicopter took off from the city of Beledweyne and landed close to Gadoon village in the Galgaduud region due to a technical glitch, an internal UN memo seen by Al Jazeera stated.
“The government has been undertaking efforts to rescue the crew since yesterday when the accident happened, and efforts still go on,” Information Minister Daud Aweis told Reuters news agency. He did not provide any other details.
According to the memo, there were nine passengers on the plane, including military personnel and a third-party contractor. At least six of the passengers were reportedly seized by al-Shabab.
Colonel Abdullahi Isse, who is based in the town of Adado, about 100km (60 miles) north of Hindhere, told Reuters that troops in the area had no plans to launch a rescue mission.
