Al-Shabaab militants in central Somali town of El-bur have set free 19 people they detained when they regaining control of the town few weeks ago. Three other people are still in the rebel custody.
The detainees are local elders and religious clerics, according to Ahlu Sunna’s Wabho security boss Abdishakur Hussein Jabir.
It is not yet clear why the Al-Shabaab opted to keep the trio, two businessmen and a religious cleric, in custody after releasing the other detainees.
But Jabir alleges that militants set free some of the detainees after reports emerged that Alhu Sunna militias and their allied Ethiopian troops were planning to retake control of the town.