MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabaab militants began night patrols in some of the districts of the capital Mogadishu in an intensifying anti-drugs swoop, Caasimada Online news website reported on Saturday.
Masked Al-Shabaab gunmen were seen in the districts of Kaaraan and Heliwa in northern Mogadishu over the past nights conducting night patrols and searching youths at teashops for illicit drugs.
The armed men warned them that they would be killed if caught using drugs, weeks after Al-Shabaab military spokesman Abu Musab announced that they would launch anti-drug operations in Mogadishu after receiving complaints from residents.
The gunmen urged local businesspeople and residents to cooperate and provide intelligence leading to the killing of gangs and drug dealers.
Residents in the Somali capital have accused authorities of neglecting their responsibility for the worsening security of the capital due to attacks by armed gangs and drug dealers. Caasimada Online reports that attacks by gangsters have and dozens of drug stores have been closed since insurgents launched the new operation.
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