Gunmen behind killing of military officials arrested in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least five people believed to have engineered the killing of six Somali National Army [SNA] in an ambush on Wednesday at Galgadud have been arrested in Galmadug, officials have said, in what could help establish the motive behind the devastating attack that also left others critically wounded.

The attack is said to have targeted the convoy of SNA troops manning the region, leading to a fierce gunfight between the two sides. Three soldiers went missing according to preliminary investigations but two have since been found alive as they search for the third officer intensified.

But authorities say five people believed to be behind the attack have been apprehended and are currently being held by security forces pending investigations that would establish the motive behind the attack. Their names are yet to be published by security forces.

Reports indicate that the slain officers left the town of Guri’el and were heading to Balanbale when they were ambushed and killed. Officials have detached Al-Shabaab from the ordeal, but implicated clan militia, who are common in various parts of Somalia.

According to reports from the authorities, security forces captured the five gunmen in a forest near Guri’el where they are believed to have been hiding. One of the men reportedly had gunshot wounds and the entire team would be subjected to the Military Courts for a robust trial in line with the country's military traditions.

Galmudug state president Ahmed Abdi Kariye alias Qorqor had appointed a commission to investigate the killing of the military officers. The commission has since started the hearing and is expected to table finding in the coming weeks or months.

Meanwhile, the Somali army chief, Gen Odawaa Yussuf Rage, has accused the militant group, Al-Shabaab of being behind the officers’ killing, after reports linked clan feuds to the seemingly planned attack against the SNA officers, but the claims could not be established.

Usually, Al-Shabaab takes responsibility for such a cowardly attack but until now, the group is yet to comment on the matter. Al-Shabaab still controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia, but in recent months, the FGS group has lost considerably in various territories.

GAROWE ONLINE