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Kenya media including Daily nation The newspaper claims that Ethiopian troops inside Somalia, but not assigned to the African Union mission AMISON, mistakenly shot down the Kenyan cargo plane last Monday.
The plane, a 5Y-AXO carrying medical and humanitarian supplies to handle potential coronavirus cases, crashed as it approached Bardale in central Somalia, reportedly killing all six of its occupants.
AMISON said Tuesday that it welcomed the decision by the leaders of “Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia to investigate the incident” which reportedly involved the launch of a rocket.
Daily Nation, and other media, on Saturday cited what it called an “preliminary report” submitted by AMISOM revealing that Ethiopian troops “not belonging to AMISOM” guarding the Bardale airstrip were surprised by the approaching flight. “unusual” of the plane.
Read more: Somali plane crash with medical supplies of coronavirus shrouded in mystery
‘Unusual’ flight approach
Troops suspected the plane was a “suicide bomber,” said the Daily nationAdding that the plane’s crew had approached Bardale unusually from the west.
It was flying closer to the ground and its arrival had not been reported in advance, the Daily nation, citing AMISOM in Mogadishu.
On Tuesday, the UA mission said the aircraft, operated by African Express Airways, registered in Kenya, had made its flight from Mogadishu through Baidoa.
‘Clarifying the circumstances’
AMISOM chief of mission Francisco Madeira said the determined joint investigation would be aimed at “clarifying the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
The formation of AMISOM in 2007 under a UN resolution but led by the African Union was preceded by a major Ethiopian raid aimed at dissolving the al-Shabab extremist network linked to al-Qaida.
Currently, AMISOM has some 20,000 staff members from eight AU countries who have been assigned control of various regions shaken for years by terrorist attacks.
Bardale has long been a base used by the Ethiopian Army.
Italian lifeguard rescued
In a separate development on Saturday, Italy announced that Italian lifeguard Silvia Romano, who had been kidnapped by gunmen in northern Kenya 18 months ago, had been rescued within Somalia, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Somali capital. .
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said Romano had arrived at the Italian embassy in Mogadishu and would arrive in Rome on Sunday on a special flight.
“Thanks to the men and women of the foreign intelligence services,” Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte tweeted.
ipj / aw (dpa, AP, Reuters)
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