Saturday July 31, 2021
An infiltration attempt by the terror group al-Shabab to Ethiopia from
neighboring Somalia has been foiled, Ethiopian authorities said on
Thursday.
In a press statement, Ethiopia's Somali region communication office said
two suspected al-Shabab operatives were intercepted earlier this week.
"Two suspected al-Shabab operatives who tried to enter from neighboring
Somalia to Ethiopia were intercepted in the Mustahil locality of
Ethiopia Somali regional state," said the statement.
"One suspect was killed in a shootout, while the other suspect was injured and subsequently apprehended," the statement said.
Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective central government
since 1991 when former President Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted from
power by armed rebellion, leading to the Somalia Civil War.
The weakness of the central government of Somalia has led to the
proliferation of sea piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats and
attacks by terror groups, most notably al-Shabab.
In January, Ethiopia announced the arrest of dozens of suspected Ethiopian extremists linked to al-Shabab.