By RFPosted on 07-07-2019Modified on 07-07-2019 at 22:08
In Somalia, the Shebabs have killed no less than 10 people accused of spying this week. The Islamist terrorist group shot dead five men on Wednesday (July 3rd) by firing squad. They were suspected of spying for Somali, Kenyan and American intelligence. Thursday, same thing for five other men. The executions took place in the south of the country, where the movement occupies large areas.
Four people killed in March, five in October, two in May 2018, executions of alleged spies are not uncommon among Shebabs .
They are often accused of transmitting information to the Somali army or foreign powers to facilitate counter-terrorist operations.
Suspected spies are often civilians living near their bases. They are judged by courts controlled by the shebabs, before being shot by a firing squad, having their throats slit or being stoned.
The act is perpetrated in public place and announced on the movement's propaganda channels to inspire fear.
But the group is also attacking its own fighters, like Kenyans. Three were slaughtered in March, for example. The execution took place a few days after a drone strike.
According to Brian Perkins of the Jamestown Foundation, executions are on the rise, as shebabs are increasingly paranoid. They suffer more American strikes, defections, and increased rivalry with their enemies from the Islamic State group in Somalia.
According to the Global Extremism Monitor, in 2017, the Shebabs executed 82 people accused of either violating Islamic law or being spied on. A figure that placed the group in 2nd position behind the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
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