Ethiopia foils infiltration attempt by al-Shabaab militants

An infiltration attempt by the al-Shabaab terrorist group from neighboring Somalia into Ethiopia has been foiled. The communications office for Ethiopia’s Somali region said earlier this week two suspected al-Shabaab operatives were apprehended.
Two suspected al-Shabaab operatives, who tried to enter Ethiopia from neighboring Somalia, were intercepted in the Mustahil area of ​​the Ethiopian Somali territorial state, a statement said.

It said that one suspect was killed in the encounter, while another suspect was injured and was later apprehended.

Somalia has struggled with the lack of an effective central government since 1991 when former President Mohamed Siad Rbe was ousted from power by an armed rebellion that led to the Somali Civil War.

The weakness of Somalia’s central government has led to the proliferation of piracy, illegal fishing by foreign boats, and attacks by terrorist groups, particularly al-Shabaab. In January, Ethiopia announced the arrest of dozens of suspected extremists linked to al-Shabaab.