Security forces in #Somalia’s #Galmudug State detained in #Hobyo town 20 foreign fishermen, 14 #Iranians and 6 #Pakistanis for interrogation, Somali Police confirmed, on Sunday. These foreigners had fallen in the hands of #Alshabab terrorists in 2014 and 2019.#Somalia pic.twitter.com/Aim4bCpaXM
— Radio Muqdisho (@RadioMuqdisho) November 27, 2022
UPDATE: At least 20 men from Pakistan and Iran were arrested in Hobyo. Mayor of Hobyo, Abdullahi Ali, says they are being interrogated. Reliable sources say they were release by al Shabab who held them as captives for years after talks with their families. pic.twitter.com/2Z8TfALhDZ
— Shabelle Media Network (@ShabelleMedia) November 27, 2022
| Garowe adds: |
...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth...
arrested foreigners said to be Iranians and Paks and launched an investigation into their presence in the country without complying with various immigration regulations.
Authorities have confirmed that 20 Paks and Iranians were arrested in the coastal Hobyo town in Somalia, and have since claimed that they were under al-Shabaab
...... the personification of Somali state failure...captivity. There was no immediate proof that the individuals have been under al-Shabaab.
In a preliminary statement, the men said they were fishermen previously captured by al-Shabaab in Somali waters but authorities in the country could not immediately ascertain the claims. The al-Shabaab turbans are notorious for kidnapping foreign nationals in exchange for ransom.
Their arrest comes at the time the country is fighting al-Shabaab turbans across the nation, in a crackdown that has left over 500 turbans dead according to Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. The government has been pursuing foreign nationals who are reportedly supporting the fighters.
In the past, authorities have confirmed with evidence that the group has recruited foreign nationals who are fighting in the country. These nationals are said to have undergone immense training which enables them to fight within and outside Somalia.
One of the major mysteries the government will try to unravel is whether the claims of the turbans can be proved. The group has been abducting people in Somali waters and across the borders, a situation they use to ask for ransoms and other financial favors for their own facilitation.
But there are instances where foreign nationals have been fighting alongside al-Shabaab, with the most recent example being in the Manda Bay attack in Kenya. In a report, the group confirmed that of all the five turbans who were killed after they raided a US naval base, four of them were not Somalis.
To extend their dominance, the turbans have been eyeing neighboring countries especially Kenya for recruitment, making the war against these criminals complicated. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
police insist they will interrogate them, holy warriors, before making a comprehensive report that would lead to the acquittal or conviction of the 20 foreigners.