Helikopta ya kijeshi ya Uganda iliyokuwa kwenye operesheni ya Kikosi cha Amani cha Umoja wa Afrika nchini Somalia imeanguka katika uwanja wa ndege wa kimataifa wa Mogadishu siku ya leo Juni 02, 2025 na kuua watu watano waliokuwemo ndani, kwa mujibu wa msemaji wa jeshi la Uganda, Felix Kulayigye
" watu wengine watatu kati ya wanane waliokuwemo kwenye helikopta hiyo walinusurika lakini wamejeruhiwa vibaya kwa moto na kuungua. Aliongeza kuwa athari za ajali hiyo zililipua silaha zilizokuwa ndani ya helikopta hiyo, na kusababisha uharibifu wa miundombinu ya karibu"
Kikosi cha AUSSOM kilisema katika taarifa yake mapema kuwa "operesheni za uokoaji bado zinaendelea ili kuwaokoa abiria na wahudumu waliobaki"
Kwa mujibu wa AUSSOM, helikopta hiyo ilianguka katika uwanja wa ndege wa kimataifa wa Mogadishu muda mfupi kabla ya kutua
Shirika la habari la serikali ya Somalia, SONNA, liliripoti mapema leo kuwa helikopta hiyo ilishika moto mara baada ya kuanguka
AUSSOM ina zaidi ya wanajeshi 11,000 nchini Somalia wakisaidia jeshi la nchi hiyo kupambana na kundi la wanamgambo wa Kiislamu wa al Shabaab.
Kundi hilo lenye uhusiano na al Qaeda limekuwa likipambana kwa karibu miongo miwili kuipindua serikali ya Somalia inayotambuliwa kimataifa na kuanzisha utawala wake unaozingatia tafsiri kali ya sheria za Kiislamu (Sharia)
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A Ugandan military helicopter deployed with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at Mogadishu airport on Wednesday, killing five passengers, a Ugandan military spokesperson said
Another three of the helicopter's eight occupants survived the incident but with severe injuries and burns, said the spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye. The impact of the crash had caused munitions on board to detonate, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians, he said
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said in a statement earlier that "search and rescue operations are currently underway to retrieve the remaining crew and passengers"
The helicopter crash-landed at Mogadishu's international airport just before touching down, AUSSOM said
Earlier on Wednesday, Somalia's state-run SONNA news outlet reported that the helicopter was engulfed in flames after crashing
"We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter," Farah Abdulle, who works at the airport, told Reuters. "The smoke entirely covered the helicopter"
AUSSOM has more than 11,000 personnel in Somalia to help the country's military tackle Islamist group al Shabaab
The al Qaeda affiliated group has been fighting for nearly two decades to topple Somalia's internationally recognised government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Sharia law
Source: Reuters & The Citizen Tz
" watu wengine watatu kati ya wanane waliokuwemo kwenye helikopta hiyo walinusurika lakini wamejeruhiwa vibaya kwa moto na kuungua. Aliongeza kuwa athari za ajali hiyo zililipua silaha zilizokuwa ndani ya helikopta hiyo, na kusababisha uharibifu wa miundombinu ya karibu"
Kikosi cha AUSSOM kilisema katika taarifa yake mapema kuwa "operesheni za uokoaji bado zinaendelea ili kuwaokoa abiria na wahudumu waliobaki"
Kwa mujibu wa AUSSOM, helikopta hiyo ilianguka katika uwanja wa ndege wa kimataifa wa Mogadishu muda mfupi kabla ya kutua
Shirika la habari la serikali ya Somalia, SONNA, liliripoti mapema leo kuwa helikopta hiyo ilishika moto mara baada ya kuanguka
AUSSOM ina zaidi ya wanajeshi 11,000 nchini Somalia wakisaidia jeshi la nchi hiyo kupambana na kundi la wanamgambo wa Kiislamu wa al Shabaab.
Kundi hilo lenye uhusiano na al Qaeda limekuwa likipambana kwa karibu miongo miwili kuipindua serikali ya Somalia inayotambuliwa kimataifa na kuanzisha utawala wake unaozingatia tafsiri kali ya sheria za Kiislamu (Sharia)
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A Ugandan military helicopter deployed with the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed at Mogadishu airport on Wednesday, killing five passengers, a Ugandan military spokesperson said
Another three of the helicopter's eight occupants survived the incident but with severe injuries and burns, said the spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye. The impact of the crash had caused munitions on board to detonate, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians, he said
The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said in a statement earlier that "search and rescue operations are currently underway to retrieve the remaining crew and passengers"
The helicopter crash-landed at Mogadishu's international airport just before touching down, AUSSOM said
Earlier on Wednesday, Somalia's state-run SONNA news outlet reported that the helicopter was engulfed in flames after crashing
"We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter," Farah Abdulle, who works at the airport, told Reuters. "The smoke entirely covered the helicopter"
AUSSOM has more than 11,000 personnel in Somalia to help the country's military tackle Islamist group al Shabaab
The al Qaeda affiliated group has been fighting for nearly two decades to topple Somalia's internationally recognised government and establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Sharia law
Source: Reuters & The Citizen Tz
