Six Moroccans were sentenced to death in the Somalian semi-autonomous state of Puntland for the crime of joining the Islamic State group

A military court in Somalia’s northeastern semi-autonomous state of Puntland sentenced to death six Moroccans believed to be foreign fighters for the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Somalia.

The individuals entered Somalia to cause harm to Muslims and Somalis and incite unrest in the country, the presiding judge in the Puntland region, Col. Ali Ibrahim Osman, said late Thursday.

The six men, identified as Mohamed Hassan, Ahmed Najwi, Khalid Latha, Mohamed Binu Mohamed Ahmed, Ridwan Abdulkadir Osmany, and Ahmed Hussein Ibrahim, can appeal and if they are unsuccessful they will be shot to death by firing squad.

Additionally, an Ethiopian and a Somali were each sentenced to 10 years in prison, while another Somali defendant was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

It was not immediately clear if any of the men had access to legal representation or where they were being held Friday. The eight men claimed they were misled into joining the group and expressed a desire to be repatriated, Osman said.

According to Osman, the six Moroccans were accused of receiving training with IS at its base in the Cal-Miskaat Mountains in northeastern Somalia, which serve as a stronghold for the group.

The Moroccans were apprehended in the mountain range, located to the east of Bosaso, which is the commercial hub of the Puntland region.

The Somali branch of IS was established in 2015 by a group of defectors from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab group, which is the most prominent jihadist group in Somalia.

The group is notorious for extorting locals and primarily carries out small-scale, sporadic attacks. This marks the first time that authorities in the semi-autonomous Puntland region have charged or sentenced foreigners for joining IS.

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