GALKAYO (SD) – A military court in Puntland has sentenced four young men to death row, and prolonged jail sentence for two other boys, for being members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group and killings of several people in the state.

The court handed Farhan Faisal Salat, Abdullahi Feisal Hussein, Barkhad Awil Hirsi Nur and Liban Adan Muse death sentences.

Abdi Qani Farhan Abdullahi and Abdirahman Awil Mohamed will serve 30 and 20 years in jail respectively.

The court ruled that the offenders, some aged less than 20 years old, were responsible for targeted killings in Galkayo between 2017 and 2021.

The Puntland military court added that the convicted youths have 30 days to appeal, hire lawyers to defend them against today’s sentences.

The Puntland military court added that the convicted youths have 30 days to appeal, to hire lawyers to defend them against the harsh sentences currently handed down.

Puntland has previously sentenced members of al-Shabaab to death, most recently 18 men shot dead in mid-2021 north of Galkayo.