Somalia’s Al-Shabaab Bans Smoking Cigarettes, Chewing Khat

Somalia’s al-Shabaab, an Islamic militant group that controls most of the southern and central parts of the country, banned smoking cigarettes and chewing khat, a leafy narcotic, in the Afgoye district.

Anyone caught violating the ban, which includes selling tobacco products, may face 30 days and a fine, said Sheikh Aby Ramla, head of the information department in Afogye, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu.