Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday denounced an attack on aid workers in Somalia.
The ministry in a statement on its official website expressed the country’s condolences over the attack, in which eight aid workers were abducted and executed.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of the abduction and the brutal execution of eight aid workers working in a health facility in Gololey Village located in the Hirshabelle region by a group of unidentified gunmen.”
“We strongly condemn this heinous terrorist attack. We extend our condolences to the brotherly people and Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia and pray Allah bestows mercy upon the souls of those who lost their lives,” the statement read.
The attack occurred at a health facility run by a local NGO, the Zamzam Foundation. In a statement, the charity said its workers were abducted by gunmen on Wednesday afternoon, only for their bodies to be found Thursday.
“We ask Allah to elevate their status to the highest tiers of heaven,” the statement said.
The World Health Organization’s office in Somalia condemned the “barbaric and heinous” attack. Somalia remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for aid workers.
A statement Friday by the country’s minister of humanitarian affairs, Hamza Said Hamza, condemned the “brutal execution” in Balcad District, adding that attacks against humanitarians jeopardized access to aid – especially badly needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The armed group has not been identified.
