Somalia: al-Shabaab militants 'kidnap 50 villagers'

Al-Shabaab militants have kidnapped more than 40 people from a village located in south-western Somalia, a government official has said.
Armed with assault rifles, the militants stormed Gof-gaduud village rounded up more than 40 men and driven away to unknown destinations.
The mayor of the Gof-gaduud Ahmed Aden told the media that most of the people kidnapped were farmers and pastoralists.
‘’ Al-Shabaab terrorists have kidnapped innocent farmers and pastoralists, they want to release them on ransom,’’ he said.
He called for the Somalia government to intervene the situation.
Al-Shabaab, who has links with al-Qaeda, has been waging an insurgency in Southern Somalia since 2006, and is seeking to create an Islamic state in the country.
But since last year, the group has lost significant ground to the Somali and African Union forces although they still control rural areas.
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