Somalia sentences six Moroccans to death over IS links

March 1, 2024 09:07 PM

A military court in northern Somalia has sentenced six Moroccan nationals to death over their links with the Islamic State group.

The fragile Horn of Africa nation has faced a 17-year insurgency at the hands of the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group, with militants from the Islamic State group also operating in the country.

On Thursday, Ali Dahir, the deputy chairman of a military court in Bossaso in Puntland state, sentenced six Moroccans to death for attempting "to destroy their lives, the lives of Muslim society, the lives of the Somali people and wreak havoc in the country".

The court also sentenced an Ethiopian national and a Somali citizen to 10 years in prison in connection with the same case.

Court prosecutor Mohamed Hussein told reporters that the six Moroccans were arrested in Puntland, with investigations continuing for nearly a month.

Al-Shabaab was driven out of Somalia's capital Mogadishu in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside and continues to wage deadly strikes on civilian, political and military targets.

Last year, a US military raid in northern Somalia ordered by President Joe Biden killed a key regional IS leader.

Bilal al-Sudani was responsible for funding IS operations, not only in Africa but also in Afghanistan.

US forces have in the past partnered with African Union soldiers and Somali troops in counterterrorism operations, and have conducted raids and drone strikes on Al-Shabaab training camps throughout Somalia.