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KUALA LUMPUR – A Malaysian man known as Ahmad Mustakim Abdul Hamid has been sentenced to 15 years’ jail by a Somali military court in Mogadishu for assisting the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in the Horn of Africa country.
Press attaché of Somalia’s embassy in Malaysia Abdimajit M. Osman – in a phone interview with Bernama last night – said the sentence was read out by Hassan Ali Nur Shuuto, chairman of the military court.
“However, under Somalia’s justice system, Mustakim has the opportunity to appeal his sentence,” Abdimajit further explained.
Abdimajit yesterday told Bernama that Mustakim’s court proceedings began in 2019 after his arrest that year, and that he is being treated well and receiving fair trial according to Somalia’s justice system.
He said Mustakim is believed to have entered Somalia in 2009 or 2010.
“Somalia has been suffering a lot due to foreign nationals who have been supporting and fighting for Al-Shabaab all these years against our people. Our government will take harsh actions against any foreigner who sets foot on Somali soil to support terrorism activities,” he said.
However, Abdimajit also said: “Somalia will always welcome Malaysian people, who have always provided a warm and hospitable welcome to our nationals visiting and studying in Malaysia. Somalia and Malaysia are brothers with strong historical ties. The Somali government always aspires to strengthen our bilateral ties,” he said.
Abdimajit said Mustakim, 34, is the first Malaysian to be charged with assisting Al-Shabaab in Somalia.
Meanwhile the Somali National News Agency reported that besides Mustakim, the military court also sentenced another foreign national (who was arrested along with Mustakim) to 15 years’ jail.
“Mustakim, for his part, assisted the terrorists with first aid and took part in fighting in Mogadishu and Dhusamareb,” the agency said, according to a transcript translated by the Somali embassy in Malaysia.
Mogadishu is the capital city of Somalia while Dhusamareb, which is 510km north of Mogadishu, is the capital of Galmudug state in central Somalia.
On Saturday, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah was reported as saying that his ministry is closely monitoring the detention and legal process imposed on Mustakim, and that Malaysian embassy officials in Khartoum, Sudan, have made a consular visit to ensure the welfare and health of Mustakim are protected.
“The ministry will continue to monitor developments in the case and will provide the necessary assistance by ensuring his rights and welfare are always protected and that he gets a fair trial in accordance with the law.
“We must respect the laws of the country, and we may ask for our embassy representatives to attend his court proceedings,” Saifuddin had said.
Al-Shabaab, which is al-Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliate in the African continent, is also known for its high-profile attacks such as the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, and numerous assassinations of Somali politicians and military officers.
Although Al-Shabaab continues to pose a security threat in East Africa and with its activities spreading beyond Somalia’s borders, the group is much weakened now after the killing of many of its key leaders and members.
Al-Shabaab has killed, both inside and outside Somalia, thousands of civilians and security personnel in brutal attacks, and continues to launch attacks against civilian and military targets in Somalia despite the government’s intensive operations against it over the past couple of years. – Bernama, September 23, 2021