Zecharias Zelalem
Surprising news out of Somalia: Al Shabab have released a video depicting Abdullahi Issa Ibrahim, a Kenyan soldier who was captured by the militants during the 2016 El Adde battle. That battle saw Al Shabab raid a Kenyan base in the Somali town of El Adde, and badly prepared Kenyan soldiers suffered huge losses.
Abdullahi's family had long assumed him dead. Now aged 61, he surfaces on an undated clip pleading the Kenyan government for his rescue.
It is unclear what Al Shabab's intentions are.
Zecharias Zelalem
Known as the worst day in the history of the Kenyan military, Kenyan troops, part of an African Union peacekeeping contingent in Somalia, were attacked at their base in the town of El Adde in southwestern Somalia, on January 15th 2016. Badly prepared Kenyan troops suffered 100-200 dead, and Al Shabab later released a high quality video production documenting the attack.
The video of Abdullahi was released on the 9th anniversary of the El Adde raid.
Zecharias Zelalem
In response to the unexpected release of footage showing Abdullahi alive, his daughter took to Kenyan media to plead for assistance in rescuing her father, detailing here in English, the toll that the last nine years has taken on her family. She explained that the Kenyan military has looked after the family over the course of the past nine years, with Abdullahi presumed dead.
Source: NTV.
Zecharias Zelalem
According to the Nation newspaper, Abdullahi actually phoned his daughter a day before the video release to tell her that he was alive, and that she'd see evidence soon.
Nine years later, the town of El Adde and much of southern Somalia remains in Al Shabab hands, making a rescue very complex and unlikely.
Could the sudden publishing of fresh footage signal a desire to engage in prisoner exchange talks?
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