Somalia: Al Shabaab executes men accused of spying

BAIDOA, Somalia - Al Shabaab militants in Somalia publicly executed five men accused of spying for the Federal government of Somalia and the United States Intelligence Agencies on Sunday, Dec 24, Garowe Online reports.

Five men identified as Mahad Ali Hassan, Jibril Salah, Mahad Abdi, Mohamed Ali Aden and Mohamed Ali had been executed by firing squad in the rebel-held town of Idaale, located about 60km (37 miles) south of Baidoa city.

A self-proclaimed judge for Al-Shabab has announced the execution through the group's radio station, Andalus, saying the men, all Somali citizens confessed to helping provide information for the Somali, US, and Jubbaland State Intelligence services.

The Al Qaeda-linked militants rounded up residents of the town, including women and children to witness the killing of the five Somalis suspected of spying by a firing squad at an open ground in Idaale, near Baidoa, Baay regional capital.

In areas under its control in the south and central Somalia, Al-Shabaab often carries out executions, floggings, and amputations after summary trials in cases ranging from espionage to stealing.

Though the Al-Shabaab fighters have been forced out of Mogadishu by the peacekeepers serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the group still controls large swathes of the southern and the central parts.

GAROWE ONLINE