Al-Shabab says it executes 5 suspected spies in Somalia

NAIROBI, Kenya – The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group says it has executed five men accused of spying for U.S., British and Somali intelligence agencies.

Al-Shabab announced the killings on its Andalus radio station, saying they were carried out in a public square in Jilib town in Middle Jubba region late Tuesday.

According to residents, the men were tied to poles and shot by a firing squad shortly after a self-proclaimed judge sentenced them to death.

Al-Shabab, al-Qaida’s East Africa affiliate, has fought for years to impose a strict version of Islam in the Horn of Africa nation.

Despite losing territory in recent years, the extremist group continues to carry out deadly attacks in many parts of the country, especially the capital, Mogadishu. A truck bombing there in October 2017 killed 512 people.