Cuba Dismisses US Military’s Claim About Abducted Doctors

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Cuban officials have outrightly rejected a US military statement concerning doctors reportedly abducted by Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia. The Cuban government called the statement ‘incomplete and inconsistent,’ potentially straining bilateral relations.

The US military insists they did not kill the two doctors who were serving in Mandera, a town in northeastern Kenya. The doctors were kidnapped and subsequently taken to Jilib, a stronghold of Al-Shabaab in Somalia’s Middle Jubba region.

Al-Shabaab declared that doctors Assel Herrera and Landy Rodriguez were killed during a US airstrike in Jilib in February. The US Africa Command admitted to conducting an airstrike in that area during the same month.

Yet, a recent report from the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) concluded that the airstrike on February 15, 2024, did not result in civilian casualties. Despite Al-Shabaab’s claims, they did not provide any photographic or video proof of the doctors’ deaths.

The Granma newspaper, representing the Cuban government, reported Thursday that the AFRICOM statement failed to specifically mention the Cuban doctors. Consequently, Cuba is demanding a thorough investigation into their whereabouts.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez voiced his dissatisfaction on X Wednesday, stating that the US report “adds nothing new.” He noted that Havana has been awaiting an official inquiry since April regarding AFRICOM’s attacks elsewhere in Somalia.

The authenticity of the Islamist group’s claims, which has plagued Somalia’s central government for 16 years, remains unverified. The kidnapped doctors were part of a Cuban medical team of 100 members operating in Kenya under a bilateral pact.

Al-Shabaab frequently kidnaps people for ransom but refused to negotiate a price with the Kenyan government. The group has been attempting to overthrow Somalia’s fragile UN-backed federal government for the past 18 years.

AXADLETM