A Somali court has sentenced a military officer to death for allegedly helping the Al Shabaab terrorist group carry out attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, including one in March that targeted the city’s airport and left dozens dead.
The convicted man has been identified as Mohamed Abdule Nur Abku, who has been in the army for more than a decade and who allegedly used his name and official documents to allow car bombs to pass through.
The court said that Abku had carried out such activities for two years before he was arrested and brought to court, according to the Somali news portal Garowe Online.
Somali President Hassan Shaykh Mohamud said last week that Al Shabaab «is history» and called on the population to «support the liberation operations» of the security forces. He also called for «preparing for a Somalia after Al Shabaab» and for «the reconstruction of the country».
Somalia has in recent months stepped up offensives against Al Shabaab with the support of local clans and militias as part of a series of decisions taken by the president, who pledged on taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the heart of his efforts to stabilize the African country.
