By Ryan Aliman
Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The body of an unidentified boy suspected to be a member of the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, lay lifeless at the Bakaara Market last May 22, publicly displayed for everyone to see.

The killing was part of Operation Free Shabelle, a military offensive by African Union member-states aiming to regain control of the Shabelle region of Southern Somalia from Al-Shabaab, an organization known to be affiliated with the international terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

According to Abdullahi Hassan Barrise, the Somali police spokesman, the boy was spotted carrying explosives which he allegedly planned to detonate in the area. When confronted by security officers, the boy tried to escape, prompting the officers to shoot him.

In an interview with the local newspapers, Barrise said the boy was one of the youths brainwashed by Al-Shabaab. On behalf of the Somali government, Barrise called upon the boys in Al-Shabaab to “repent” of their actions in the country. However, it is unclear if Barrise intends to give lighter punishment to the young combatants who will surrender peacefully.

Barrise further urged parents to caution and restrain their children from doing “risky behavior” which may ultimately harm them.

The scene of the killing, Bakaara Market, is one of Somalia’s biggest markets. It has seen its own share of violence and arms trade through most of Somalia’s civil wars. The recent increase of security forces in the area is in line with the Somali Army’s goal to “liberate the whole Shabelle region from Al-Shabaab” under Operation Free Shabelle.

The battle for control over this region has been ongoing since the early 1990s. It was only in 2007, however, that the Somali government, along with African Union member states, moved to toughen its stance through the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

“Although much of the Al-Shabaab has been eliminated from the whole of Mogadishu, the Somali government forces will not stop pursuing members of the organization in other regions still under Al-Shabaab’s control,” Barisse said.

This killing of a suspected juvenile members of Al-Shabaab may continue as Barrise intends to give current members a preview of the grim fate they face should they persist with their activities. Somali government forces have been displaying the bodies of people they link to Al-Shabaab. Such incidents are on the increase of late.

For more information please see:

Risaala Media Corporation – Anood: Operations Won’t Stop Till We Liberate The Whole Of Lower Shabelle – May 26, 2012

Somaliland Press – In Pictures: Operation Free Shabelle – May 25, 2012

Shabelle Media Network – Somali Police Displays the Body of Suspected Al Shabab Boy in Mogadishu – May 23, 2012

Risaala Media Corporation – Somalia CID Boss Displays The Body Of Suspected Young Al-Shabab Fighter – May 23, 2012