A military helicopter belonging to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) crashed during landing at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu on Tuesday, according to Somalia’s state-run news agency SONNA.
African Union helicopter, which was carrying eight personnel, caught fire upon impact.
SONNA confirmed via its official X (formerly Twitter) account that the blaze was quickly contained, though the extent of injuries or casualties remains unclear.
Eyewitness Accounts and Ongoing Investigation
“We heard the blast and saw smoke and flames over a helicopter,” said Farah Abdulle, an airport employee who witnessed the incident of African Union helicopter .
“The smoke entirely covered the helicopter,” he told Reuters.
As of now, AUSSOM has not issued an official statement, and efforts to reach a spokesperson were unsuccessful.
AUSSOM’s Role in Somalia
AUSSOM currently deploys over 11,000 peacekeeping personnel in Somalia.
The mission supports the Somali National Army in its ongoing fight against al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group that has waged a violent insurgency for nearly two decades.
The group seeks to overthrow Somalia’s internationally recognized government and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
