Somalia begins ‘efforts to rescue’ UN helicopter crew held by al-Shabab | United Nations News

The UN helicopter accidentally landed in al-Shabab territory on Wednesday, with at least six of the nine passengers taken hostage.

Somalia’s government is working to rescue the passengers of a United Nations helicopter that was captured by al-Shabab fighters, a spokesperson said on Thursday, but military officers said it would be difficult to access the area where they were taken.

The helicopter took off from the city of Beledweyne and landed close to Gadoon village in the Galgaduud region due to a technical glitch, an internal UN memo seen by Al Jazeera stated.

“The government has been…