Somalia’s government is working to rescue the passengers on a United Nations helicopter that was captured by al-Shabab fighters. Military officers have expressed that it will be difficult to access the area where the helicopter crew was taken. The helicopter took off from the city of Beledweyne and landed close to Gadon village in the Galgaduud region due to a technical glitch.
The accident happened yesterday and the government has been undertaking efforts to rescue the crew since. There were nine passengers on the plane, including personnel and a third-party contractor. At least six of the passengers were reportedly seized by al-Shabab. Al-Shabab is an affiliate of al-Qaeda and has been trying to overthrow the Somali government since 2006.
Read More: Somalia begins ‘efforts to rescue’ UN helicopter crew held by al-Shabab
