MOGADISHU, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab claimed Friday it had executed a Kenyan hostage and threatened to kill five others.
The killed hostage, Kenyan Defense Force (KDF) Private Jonathan Kipkosgei Kangogo, was captured by the insurgents last year.
"While the Mujahideen have executed the serving KDF soldier, there is still a chance of securing the release of the remaining five prisoners," the radical group said in a statement posted on a pro-Islamist website.
Al-Shabaab has previously demanded the release of Islamist prisoners held in Kenya in exchange for the freedom of the Kenyan hostages.
The group said the Kenyan government had 72 hours to decide whether to agree to their demands.
Al-Shabaab has been fighting since 2008 to topple Somalia's weak central government, and has long been accused of destabilizing the border area between Kenya and Somalia.
MOGADISHU, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Somali militant group Al-Shabaab on Friday confirmed it has executed one of the Kenyan hostages and vowed to kill five others in its captivity.
In a statement, the insurgents confirmed the killing of Private Jonathan Kipkosgei Kangogo, a Kenya Defence Force (KDF) soldier, whom they described as Prisoner of War (POW) captured during clashes with the Kenyan contingent of African Union peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Full story
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Thursday discussed a revised United Nations presence in Somalia to support recent political gains and to address the urgent ongoing humanitarian and human rights situations in the Horn of Africa country.
"This period of transformation, with its opportunities and challenges, requires a step change in the United Nations support to peacebuilding in Somalia," the UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, Taye-Brook Zerihoun, told the 15-nation Security Council. Full story
