Al Shabab insurgents bars UN agencies in Somali

An anti-government armed Somali group controlling large swathes of the country has said it will shut down three UN agencies and prevent them from working in areas under its control. Armed men from the al-Shabab group looted a UN compound in Baidoa in south-central Somalia on Monday following the announcement. In a statement broadcast on local radio, al-Shabab accused the UN agencies of corruption and allegedly conspiring against Islam. The agencies affected are the United Nations Political Office for Somalia, the United Nations Development Programme, and the United Nations Department for Safety and Security.