Ethiopian Military helicopter with spy officers crashes in Somalia

Sources confirmed to Keydmedia Online that dozens of Ethiopian troops are rushing to the scene at this very moment and attempting to cordon off the scene. 
 

News Keydmedia Online
21 July 2021

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An Ethiopian army helicopter has crashed in southern Somalia around 8:00 A.M. on Wednesday morning, causing casualties, Keydmedia Online has learned.

Sources said the helicopter which was carrying dozens of military personnel, including three intelligence officials from Ethiopia, crashed in Hudur, the regional capital of Bakool.

Ethiopian troops stationed in a nearby military base have rushed to the crash scene and cordoned off the site to block the residents from moving closer, said a village who spoke to Keydmedia Online via phone.

"An Ethiopian military helicopter crashed while hovering over the town of Hudur in the Bakool province. Smoke is still billowing from the crash site as we speak now," said the resident.

The exact number of casualties was unavailable as the area is closed by Ethiopian forces who denied the local journalists access to the area, where the helicopter crashed. 

The deadly accident occurred in a hotbed of terror region, where Ethiopian soldiers regularly conduct military operations against the Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group.

It is not known whether the helicopter had crashed over a technical problem during the landing or it was shot down by Al-Shabaab, which has a strong presence in nearby areas.

Ethiopian troops in Somalia who are not part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) do not have an official spokesperson to contact when such incidents happen.

On May 4th, 2020, Ethiopian troops have shot down a privately owned Kenyan plane carrying humanitarian and medical supplies in Berdala town of the Bay region, resulting in the deaths of all six people on board.

KEYDMEDIA English