Somalia sentences military trainer to 15 years in prison over spying for Al-Shabaab

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The court of the Somali military on Sunday jailed a man believed to be a spy of the Al-Qaeda-linked group, the Al-Shabaab, noting that he had been sharing critical information on the movements of soldiers and their subsequent operations.

Abdiaziz Hussein Nur, 63, was slapped with 15 years in jail by the military court which has been prosecuting his case for months. The final sentencing by the court is not subject to appeal and he will now be a guest of the state for the next 15 years over what the court termed as a "conspiracy to endanger the lives of soldiers".

The convict, who has been sharing critical details about the Somali National Army to the Al-Shabaab, was one time a trainer with the national army thus his immense knowledge of operations, the court noted. Evidence was tabled in the court on the allegations, leading to his imminent conviction.

"The Armed Forces Court has on Sunday sentenced Abdiaziz Hussein Nur, a 63- year old former military trainer to 15 years behind the bars for sharing army details with Al-Shabaab terrorists," state media confirmed in the latest judgment which has been hailed by members of the security forces.

The Al-Shabaab militants have been fighting hard to retain their bases but a much stronger national army has managed to topple them from various strategic towns. Spying on the national army is a traditional strategy by the Al-Shabaab which they use to wage sophisticated retaliatory attacks.

More often than not, the Al-Shabaab militants use available information on both the national army and the foreign troops to wage attacks in various Forward Operating Bases across the country. Cases of attacks at military bases are common in Somalia and are often blamed on insiders.

Elsewhere, two soldiers, Qasim Duale and Hassan Juulle Shakir were executed by firing squad on Saturday after Armed Forces Court sentenced them to death for killing two innocent civilians in Mogadishu and Balcad in January, state media reported, noting that they were also convicted in line with the law of the land.

The execution is used as a punishment for individuals who are convicted of serious crimes in the federal government of Somalia, which hardly has civilian courts. The two were given an opportunity to defend themselves but unfortunately, their defense team lost the case, court documents indicated.

GAROWE ONLINE