Al Shabaab executes seven hostages in southern Somalia

The jihadist group Al Shabaab has announced that it has executed seven hostages accused mostly of espionage in the south of the country, according to a statement released through its main propaganda platform, Al Andalus radio.

The group claimed that six of those killed were spies working for the US and Somali secret services, complicit in the killings of members of the organization.

The executions took place in the southern region of Bay, near Mogadishu, the capital, and have been confirmed by the local MP Mohamed Ahmed, and the Minister of Information for southwest Somalia, Ilyas Said.

Dozens of civilians were forced to witness the terrorists’ executions, according to Ahmed.

Somalia, with about 16 million inhabitants and located in the Horn of Africa, has been under the yoke of Al Shabaab violence for years.

The terrorist group, which controls vast tracts of land in the southern and central regions, frequently attacks security forces and civilians.