A U.N. helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in Somalia, and its crew was subsequently seized by the al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group al-Shabab. The incident occurred on its way to the town of Wisil in the central Galguduud region.
The group set the helicopter on fire after the emergency landing, seizing an unknown number of crew members. The United Nations has not yet issued an official statement on the situation.
Although the crew members’ nationalities are not confirmed, a Western official has stated that no American citizens were involved.
Al-Shabab has control over large parts of Somalia, but government forces along with the African Union peacekeeping force and clan militias have been able to reclaim territory in recent years. Galguduud, the region where the emergency landing took place, has been a key battleground, with local militias clashing with the insurgent group.
U.S. troops are also present in Somalia, training the elite Somali special forces and carrying out airstrikes and missions. Somalia has been plagued by civil war since 1991, and the current situation is likely to evoke memories of the capture of a U.S. military crew when their Blackhawk helicopter was shot down over Mogadishu in 1993.
Al-Shabab has a history of seizing foreign hostages, and in 2018 they kidnapped a German nurse working with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Mogadishu. She has yet to be recovered.