MOGADISHU (SD) – A Somali military court has sentenced three men to long prison sentences for plotting to carry out attacks in Somaliland and Somali region in Ethiopia.

The convicted men, identified as Osama Abdi-Nur Said, Abdi-Samad Abdullahi Mohamed and Zakariye Ahmed Abdullahi, were arrested this year by the NISA.

A statement from the court said the youths, who hail from Burao and Hargeisa, had adopted al-Shabaab ideology in October 2021.

The military court said the men’s intentions were also to training young men destined for operations in Somaliland and Somali region in Ethiopia.

The court-martial sentenced the men to eight years in prison each and afforded them the opportunity to appeal the decision.