Two Somali soldiers convicted of conspiring with Al-Shabaab to assassinate their commander were executed by firing squad on Monday, officials confirmed.
The executions come amid escalating violence in Somalia, where the Al-Qaeda-linked group has intensified attacks, reversing key military gains from recent years. Al-Shabaab’s offensive has seized dozens of towns and villages, rekindling fears of a renewed jihadist foothold in the Horn of Africa nation.
A military court in Mogadishu sentenced the two soldiers to death in August after finding them guilty of killing their battalion commander in July. Prosecutors said one soldier acquired an explosive device, while the other planted it under the commander’s bed, where it was detonated remotely.
“They were executed today for their involvement in the assassination of Commander Aided Mohamed Ali,” prosecutor Hassan Siyad Mohamed told reporters. Liban Ali Yarrow, chairman of the supreme military court, vowed relentless pursuit of those aiding Al-Shabaab, promising they would “be found and executed by firing squad.”
The court uses the term “Kharijites” to describe Al-Shabaab, reflecting official disdain for the insurgent group’s ideology and tactics. Monday’s executions follow last week’s killing of three Al-Shabaab members convicted of deadly attacks in Mogadishu, underscoring Somalia’s uncompromising stance on terrorism.
