"Somalia's Ongoing Efforts to Rescue UN Helicopter Crew Seized by al-Shabab"

A U.N. helicopter conducting a medical evacuation in central Somalia made an emergency landing in an area controlled by al-Shabaab militants, leading to the capture of passengers, including two Somali men and several foreigners. The Somali government is working to rescue the hostages, but military officers expressed difficulty in accessing the area. The U.N. stated that "response efforts" were underway, while the World Food Programme confirmed that the helicopter did not belong to them and suspended all flights in the area as a precaution.