Al Shabaab fighters have shot and killed nine donkeys and abducted an unknown number of people in Bakool region, Somalia.
Donkeys are the sole mode of transport in Bakool, which is a government-controlled area in southwestern Somalia.
The animals were killed
on Monday in an ambush at Elboon which is 15 kilometres west of Wajid.
Abdikadir Nur Goome, the chairperson of Wajid town, said the militants ambushed a caravan as it headed to Wajid town.
"Al Shabaab militants have been attacking persons transporting food on donkey carts," Goome told the state-owned Radio Muqdisho.
He said the militants drove the merchants to a village under their control and burnt food and carts that belonged to some of them. The country is suffering drought.
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It was reported that the militia group recently destroyed communication masts in El Wak and warned residents against collaborating with Kenyan and Somali security forces in the bid to flush them out and restore peace.
An El Wak elder said: "Amisom
troops asked about the number of children available, the common ailments among the elderly and the number of expectant mothers [for a medical camp that took place later] but the militants accused us of sharing information on their whereabouts."
In December 2017, the al Qaed-linked terrorists destroyed a crucial well in Lafey Town which on the Kenya-Somalia boarder.
The destruction inconvenienced residents who relied heavily on the well amid the drought in many Somalia districts.
Al Shabaab fighter have isolated Wajid, Hudur and many other towns in Bakool from other parts of the country and have been blocking humanitarian assistance.
