Al-Shabab fighters kidnapped over 100 young men in Somalia on Saturday as the group begins implementing its new policy of forcibly recruiting people for its war, Press TV reported.
The African Press Agency quoted eyewitnesses and relatives as saying that around 100 people, mainly young men, were picked up by al-Shabab fighters in order to force them to join the fighting against Somali government troops and African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.
Earlier in the week, a high-ranking al-Shabab official, Sheikh Abu Musab, called on all Somalis to join the war or face the consequences.
Al-Shabab announced earlier that every young man must fight for them at least six hours per day and those who cannot fight will be obliged to contribute money to the ongoing war against the government.
Al-Shabab has been fighting against the Somali government for the past three years.