...... the personification of Somali state failure...murderous Moslems with various sentences after they pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges, in what comes as a reprieve in the fight against the group, which has been terrorizing innocent civilians for over a decade.
The al-Shabaab group which controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia is an affiliate of al-Qaeda. The group has been fighting to control the country but efforts by security forces have several thwarted the attempts.
According to reports, the 15 were convicted in Baidoa, the regional administrative capital of Southwest state, having pleaded to various charges. Somalia has a weak judicial system but it's the military court that has tried to restore some order.
Further reports indicate that one person was convicted for trying to execute an attack using a grenade and he has to stay in prison for the next 15 years. Yet again, six of the convicts will have to serve ten years while the remaining will serve five years each in prison.
Interestingly, in the team which will serve for five years, three are women. It's rare to have women participating in al-Shabaab attacks but in most cases, they are used as accomplices and in some instances, they can personally carry out the attacks.
Further, one of the women who was sentenced had her initial five-year sentence suspended a few years ago before being convicted today for a related crime. The blind lady is accused of handling and storing weapons for al-Shabaab Death Eaters.
The reprieve comes about four days after al-Shabaab raided Somalia's capital Mogadishu where they killed over 21 people mostly civilians. The attack has been widely condemned around the world, with PM Hamza Abdi insisting that the government would take responsibility.