Mogadishu - Somalia's Shabaab militants have
executed four people accused of spying for the
United States, Ethiopia and the country's
internationally-backed government, officials
and witnesses said.
The executions by firing squad took place at a
square in the town of Bardhere, a Shabaab
stronghold in Somalia's south-western region
of Gedo, late on Tuesday, and came a week
after the US said it had killed the al-Qaeda-
affiliated militants' intelligence chief in an air
strike.
"One of the spies worked with the CIA and
facilitated the killing of an al-Shabaab
commander," a Shabaab judge in the town
said before the four were shot dead.
According to the judge, another one of those
executed had been aiding US operations in
Barawe, a port town and former Shebab
stronghold that was captured last year by
Somali and African Union forces, while the
other two worked for Ethiopian intelligence
and Somalia's security agency.
"After hearing the charges against the four
and their confession, the Islamic court
sentenced them to the death penalty," the
judge said.
Blindfolded and shot from the back
A local witness, Ali Ronow, said hundreds of
locals watched the execution.
"The men were blindfolded and shot from the
back by a team of hooded gunmen," he said.
"All of them had their hands tied behind their
backs when brought on a pickup truck and
they were also hooded. They were shot
indiscriminately with machine guns," said
Muktarey, another witness.
Last week the United States conducted an air
strike in Saacow, 320km west of the capital
Mogadishu and in the Middle Juba region, and
Somali officials said Shabaab intelligence chief
Abdishakur Tahlil was killed along with two
other militants.
The Shabaab’s former leader, Ahmed Abdi
Godane, was also killed by a US air strike in
September 2014.
Separately, a bomb stuck beneath a car in the
capital Mogadishu wounded one, ripping off
the leg of the driver as he travelled near the
central K4 roundabout, police officer Awil
Mohamed said.
"I saw his leg in a shoe left inside the car" said
Farah Abdi, who was nearby the busy junction
when the bomb exploded.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack,
but the Shabaab have for years carried out a
string of bombings and killings in their fight to
overthrow the government.
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