http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/15/world/africa/somalia-violence/
Al-Shabaab blamed for five beheadings
By Omar Nor, for CNN
updated 9:26 AM EST, Mon December 15, 2014
Author: By Omar Nor for CNN
Published On: Dec 14 2014 11:47:32 PM PST Updated On: Dec 15 2014
12:21:58 AM PST
CNN
MOGADISHU, Somalia (CNN) -
A Quran teacher in central Somalia was the fifth beheading victim in
one week at the hands of Al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked militant
group based in Somalia.
"The Quran teacher was snatched from his house in Qandho by Al-Shabaab
militants on Friday and they dumped his headless, beheaded body near
his home town on Saturday morning," local town spokesman Abdiaziz
Durow told CNN.
The teacher was identified as Mohamed Hussein, 45, a resident of the
Qandho near the besieged town of Bulo Burde, 217 miles north of
Mogadishu in central Somalia.
"The reason the Quran teacher was murdered is that he was one of the
few residents that refused orders from Al-Shabaab to leave his village
that was recently seized by Somali and AU troops," Durow said.
Al-Shabaab had warned local residents to leave their houses in the
towns they have seized, according to Durow.
Last week, the militant group abducted and beheaded two Somali
policewomen in the city of Teyeglow, located in the southwest region.
The beheadings prompted a government soldier whose wife was among the
victims to kill five Al-Shabaab wives in retaliation.
Al-Shabaab also beheaded two government soldiers near the town of Bur
Hakaba in the Bay region in south Somalia.
Al-Shabaab is a Somali group that was designated as a foreign
terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008. It is
seeking to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state.
The group is believed to be responsible for attacks in Somalia that
have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders
and African Union peacekeepers.
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Received on Mon Dec 15 2014 - 22:51:01 EST