Kenyan woman rescued from Al Shabaab clutches after two years

 

A Kenyan woman abducted by a Somali militia two years ago has been rescued by special forces from an autonomous region of war-torn Somalia.

Director of Mombasa-based East African Seafarers Assistance Programme Andrew Mwangura said Loise Weru, from Bahati in Nakuru County, was rescued by Galmudug Special Forces last Saturday.

Ms Weru had been taken hostage alongside James Kuria, who was rescued earlier this year. The two were taken hostage by suspected Al Shabaab militia as they sold herbal medicine in Somalia.

Mr Mwangura said no ransom was paid for Ms Weru, maintaining she was rescued in a military rescue operation.

"She is now in the safe hands of the local authorities in Galmudug waiting to be repatriated back home," said Mr Mwangura in a statement.

Two other Kenyan nationals - George Macharia Mburu and George Macharia Njoki - abducted on January 12, 2014 in Hodan District near Trabuun Stadium, are still in the hands of their captors.

At the time of their capture, they were working for East African Construction Company at a petrol station in Mogadishu.

They are said to have been abducted by unknown militia from Habargidir (Ayr) that has allegedly asked for a $1 million ransom from the family of the two civil engineers.

Other hostages being held by Somali gunmen include Dr Murray Watson, Patrick Amukhuma and Dheeraj Tiwari. The pair has been missing since April 2008.

Tiwari was one of the 24 multinational crew members of the Panama-owned ship MV ICE BERG 1, hijacked by armed pirates on March 29, 2010 in the Gulf of Aden.

Pirates armed with automatic weapons took hostage 24 crew members and commandeered the ship to Somalia.

The crew comprised of eight Yemenis, six Indians, four Ghanaians, two Sudanese, two Pakistanis and one Filipino.

The vessel was sailing from the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom when it was attacked.