Decapitated bodies found in Somalia days after 'Islamic State' abductions

Residents in Somalia say they have found three decapitated bodies just days after fighters linked to the so-called 'Islamic State' ('IS') abducted nine people.

Hassan Adan, an elder in Qandala town in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, says the bodies found along a road near the town showed signs of torture.

Heavily-armed fighters on Saturday stopped a truck carrying nearly two dozen passengers about 15 miles from Qandala and abducted nine people.

The abducted included off-duty soldiers returning from areas where troops are battling the 'IS'-linked fighters who had briefly captured Qandala.

It was not immediately clear if the decapitated bodies were those of soldiers.

Somalia's homegrown al-Shabab extremist group sees the 'IS'-linked group as a threat to its operations in this long-chaotic nation.