It has been three months since the Armed Forces Court sentenced six men to death. These men are from the Yaaq-bariweyne settlement, which falls under the authority of the Wanlaweyn district in the Lower Shabelle province. The Somali troops have failed to capture these men. The convicted men were part of a clan armed militia that had set up an illegal checkpoint in the settlement. This checkpoint was later removed on November 23, and the men were sentenced in court while they were absent. The military court sentenced the following six men to death on November 23: 1. Isse Abdi Mohamed, also known as Alan 2. Ali Isak Gulied, also known as Ali Yariis 3. Fuad Ahmed Mohamed, also known as Duqow 4. Deqow Osman Nunow 5. Husien Mohamed Qasim 6. Abdi Osman Mohamed, also known as Abdi Tuurey. The court found that these men had murdered five civilians in the Yaaq-bariweyne settlement on November 11, before the checkpoint was removed. It seems that the operation to capture these men is being prolonged due to the lack of support from the local population. The 7th brigade, the 12th April Division of the Somali National Army (SNA), is working with the police station in Wanlaweyn. The troops, led by Colonel Ahmed Abdi Ali, also known as Ahmed Gaashaan, have an arrest warrant from the military court to bring the sentenced men in, either alive or dead. The six men are fugitives and are believed to be hiding in nearby villages, receiving support from another heavily armed local militia. On January 20, several Somali troops were killed during an operation in the outskirts of Yaaq-bariweyne, where the convicted men were reported to be hiding. Colonel Gaashaan has previously called on the six men to surrender themselves to justice, but instead, they have chosen to stay in the vicinity of the settlement and face death. He reiterated that these men cannot escape the law and will be captured sooner or later. Among the fugitives is a man named Isse Abdi Mohamed, also known as Alan, who is the leader of the clan armed militia that had set up an illegal checkpoint in Yaaq-bariweyne for several years.
