Saturday December 31, 2022
File Photo Beledweyne (HOL) - Al-Shabaab reportedly abducted at least nine people on Friday evening in an ambush and carjacking in Hiiraan's Halgan district, according to witness accounts from residents.
Al-Shabaab reportedly ambushed two minivans carrying civilians. According to a local resident who spoke to the HOL on condition of anonymity owing to his safety, the militants blocked the road near Dheenweyne and opened fire on the two vehicles, which ended up on the banks of the Shabelle River.
"Last night, between Maghrib and Isha prayers, Al-Shabaab ambushed civilians coming from Halgan district to do business. They travelled in two vehicles, a Noha and a Homey, with roughly 20 passengers on board. Al-Shabaab opened fire, and some individuals managed to leap out of the truck and flee, but they abducted the people who couldn't escape, mainly the elderly," explained the Dheenweyne local.
The Al-Shabaab gunmen took the hijacked vehicle and the nearly dozen people they kidnapped to the Shabelle River, where they crossed from the east side to the western part of the Hiraan region, where Shabaab is still active.