Al-Shabaab abducts prominent elder in Afmadow, cuts off telco lines in Kismayo.

The militant group Al-Shabaab abducted one of the founding elders of Jubbaland state and cut communication network in the coastal city of Kismayo Saturday morning till dawn.

The elder identified as Salah Bashir alongside an unnamed man whom is said had struggled to release the elder were abducted Friday night in Afmadow near Kismayo. The whereabouts of the two remain unknown.

Jubbaland administration meanwhile had pointed fingers at Al-Shabaab for cutting telecommunication services to the state the whole of Saturday. Al-Shabaab has on several occasions cut telecommunication lines in many parts of the country during raids and when it plans to launch attacks. The telecommunications company Hormuud declined to comment on the matter.