RIPRIP,
This is breaking news, more details below.
A helicopter belonging to the United Nations mission in Somalia has been captured by Al Shabab after accidentally landing on Wednesday afternoon in territory controlled by the armed group, according to multiple local reports.
At least six aid workers who were on the plane are now being held by the al-Qaeda-linked armed group that has caused violence in the Horn of Africa for decades.
The helicopter landed near the Gabonese village in the Galgaduud region due to a technical problem, according to a UN memo seen by Al Jazeera. A UN official in Mogadishu also confirmed the incident to Al Jazeera.
According to the memo, there were nine passengers on the plane, including military personnel and an outside contractor. Six of them were reportedly kidnapped by the group, while two passengers escaped and remain at large.
“All UN flights have been temporarily suspended in the surrounding area until further notice,” part of the memo read.
Other details, including the nationality of the people on board, remain unclear. The Somali government has also not yet commented on the reports.
More to come.
