AU, Somali Troops Free 30 Hostages Held By Shabaab

Juba Administration forces. African Union (A.U.) and Somali troops on Friday managed to rescue 30 men and women who had been taken hostage earlier in the day by Al Shabaab militants, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) has confirmed. Women seen weeping and hugging as they welcome one of the rescued woman hostages in Kismayu. The women were kidnapped by alshabaab fighters on 30th May 2014 but were rescued later in the day in a daring operation involving around 200 Interim Juba Administration forces (IJA) aided by AMISOM Kenya Defence Forces air surveillance capability. AMISOM Public Information Services / RAMADAN MOHAMED

African Union (A.U.) and Somali troops on Friday managed to rescue 30 men and women who had been taken hostage earlier in the day by Al-Shabaab militants, the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) has confirmed.  The hostages were mostly vendors kidnapped Friday morning from Bar Aleen village near southern Somalia'sport city of Kismayo. "Today evening, there was joy and happiness in Kismayu after 30 men and women who were kidnapped earlier by Al-Shabaab terrorists were rescued," Mahamat Saleh Annadif, special representative of the chairperson of the A.U. Commission for Somalia, said in a statement. Annadif attributed the rescue mission's success to "good coordination… between AMISOM forces stationed there and the Interim Juba Administration forces.""We wish to congratulate the forces for the good work and to reaffirm our commitment to helping the Somalia people," he said. Local media had reported that Al-Shabaab militants had tried to sneak the hostages out of the village to Jilib, a town that is under the militant group's control. "AMISOM Forces in Kismayu, working closely with the Interim Juba Administration forces, immediately dispatched a specialized team to track the kidnaper's movements in the sky, sharing critical information with the ground forces sent to track and rescue the hostages," the statement read. The statement did not, however, provide details as to how the forces had managed to rescue the 30 hostages or if any fighting had ensued."We condemn such heinous acts of kidnapping aimed at creating fear and denying the Somalis the freedom and opportunity to work and walk freely in their own country," the statement read. "We wish to remind the terrorists that their wicked plots will be defeated, just like today," it added.Although the militant group lost most of its strongholds after AMISOM troops were deployed to Somalia in 2007, it continues to carry out attacks on Somali government officials and foreign troops. Last week, ten people were killed when Al-Shabaab militants attacked the Somali parliament in Mogadishu.