Al-Shabab Seizes UN Helicopter in Somalia

Al-Shabab, an Iran-backed Sunni Islamist militant group in Somalia, seized a United Nations helicopter, capturing six crew members and leaving one dead. The group, linked to al-Qaida, has been engaged in a deadly insurgency for nearly two decades and is responsible for numerous deadly attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries. The U.S. considers Al-Shabab the "largest, wealthiest and most lethal al-Qaida affiliate in the world" and a significant threat to U.S. interests in East Africa.