Al-Shabaab commanders kill over 100 wounded fellow fighters in Somalia

In a bizarre incident, Al-Shabaab militants within Somalia are said to have butchered over 100 fellow wounded fighters as they fled from Adan Yabal town in central Somalia after the Somalia National Army [SNA] and allied forces made significant strides last week.

Buoyed by the support from the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and local militia, the SNA soldiers have been making advances in areas traditionally occupied by Al-Shabaab militants, in what the country terms a "significant victory".

Somalia's government believes that after the government troops made an entry into Adan Yabal town, the militants who opted to flee from the town may have decided to kill over 100 colleague fighters who had been wounded following a heavy fight with the national army.

Investigations conducted by the army paint a picture of several militants whose bodies were recovered in a mass grave by the militants. Most of the bodies, the government said, had serious injuries perhaps which made it impossible for them to run away.

"The federal government of Somalia condemns the recent human rights abuses committed by Khawarij in the Adan Yabal district. These acts are outside Islam, humanity and Somali culture," the government said in a press statement.

According to the Somali National Army, it has already deployed doctors to Adan Yabal town to provide medical assistance to wounded fighters on both sides. However, they were alarmed to find pits filled with bodies, and the smell of rotten flesh consumed the area.

The Al-Shabaab militants have been suffering immense losses in the country, particularly in Lower Shabelle and Hiiraan regions where the government troops have been targeting. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre claimed over 600 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed following a crackdown instigated by the government.

GAROWE ONLINE