NAIROBI: Somalia's militant Islamic group Al-Shabaab reportedly took over the running of an independent broadcaster and abducted a reporter in a new round of restrictions in areas of the country that it still controls. According to a witness, Al-Shabaab militants stormed the premises of Radio Afgoye and seized most of the equipment before taking with them radio journalist Ayub Yusuf Dalmar. Neither the management nor the Al-Shabaab authorities have issued a statement, but reports on the ground said the media outlet may have been taken over due to content deemed unfavourable to the embattled Islamist group. The group has a history of forcibly taking over independent media outlets in Somalia. The move has left telecom executives in Somalia and in neighboring Kenya worried that the militant group could attempt to shut down more communications and hinder citizens ability to use telecommunications. “It is definitely something that we must keep an eye on in order to know where the whole sector is heading right now. It is tense in Somalia and nobody is going to be interested in boosting telecom infrastructure. It's just too risky,” a communications official within the Somali government told Bikyamasr.com. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/0du7X Tags: Broadcaster, Shabab, Somalia, Telecom Section: East Africa, Latest News, Media, Tech
