Somalia Military court sentences Al-Shabaab militants

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Three Al-Shabaab militants were on Wednesday sentenced by a military court in Puntland, the northern state of Somalia, which is regarded as the most stable region in the shaky Horn of Africa nation, which has been fighting to stabilize for the last three decades since the start of civil war.

After the trial, the court sentenced Mohamed Deeq Salad Abdi to 20 years, Ismail Daud Jirow Harfanay to 30 years, and Abdulkhadir Abukar Sheikh Mohamed to 15 years. Evidence against them for being members of the Al-Shabaab militants was overwhelming, the court ruled.

Documentary evidence submitted by prosecutors revealed how the three men were responsible for explosives in Galkayo, a town that borders Puntland and Galmadug states in central Somalia, necessitating the decision by military court to send them to jail for various sentences.

The court also determined that they had affiliations with al-Shabab networks, some of whose members have already been executed by the court, while others remain incarcerated. The sentencing comes at a time when Somalia is fighting violent extremism in central and southern parts of the country.

According to prosecutors, the three men confessed to close association with the Al-Shabaab militants, but their lawyers insisted that they were coerced to admit crimes that they had not committed. Military courts have proved to be reliable and efficient in the delivery of justice within Somalia.

Six months ago, the Puntland military court executed 13 militants who were members of both al-Shabab and Islamic State terror groups. The region has been candid in the fight against Al-Shabaab militants, stretching it further by training and maintaining a strong regional security force.

The outcome of the case would significantly boost the fight against Al-Shabaab, with some members also switching allegiance to the government of Somalia due to ongoing operations, analysts say. Al-Shabaab is fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE