Ahmed Mohamed
Thursday March 16, 2023
MOGADISHU — A military court in Somalia has ordered the executions of three al-Shabab militants it said pretended to be a doctor and soldiers to carry out bombings and shootings.
The military appeals court in Mogadishu ordered the executions carried out Wednesday of three men it said were al-Shabab militants who disguised themselves to carry out deadly attacks in the city.
The court said 38-year-old Mohamed Abdi Nur Jirow used fake names and titles, including calling himself “Dr. Fanah” and claiming to be a a neurologist.
Authorities say in 2021 he bombed two restaurants in Mogadishu, killing 20 people.
The court said Jirow also killed two people in an attack on a football stadium on the outskirts of Mogadishu, though it didn’t say when, and helped with a suicide bombing in February that killed one soldier.
Mumin Hussein Abdullahi is the deputy prosecutor at the military court.
He said today they executed the convicts Mohamed Abdi Nur Jirow, also known as Dr. Fanah, Mohamed Abdulle Abkow, known as Bimalow, and Sharif Mohamed Barqadle Ayanle, also known as Jeego.
The court said 36-year-old Bimalow pretended to be a military lieutenant and bombed a restaurant in Mogadishu in 2019, killing 11 people.
The court said Bimalow also helped al-Shabab militants attack Mogadishu’s international airport one year ago, killing one soldier.
The court said 53-year-old Ayanle had actually served in Somalia’s army but claimed to be a captain, which the military denies.
The court said Ayanle bombed a Mogadishu mall in February, killing 16 people and injuring 38.
The appeals court was upholding a January lower court death sentence for the three men after they were said to have confessed.
The executions come just one week after a military court in Somalia’s Puntland region ordered the execution of 13 al-Shabab and Islamic State militants.
The court also ordered the execution of five Somali soldiers for killing civilians.