Somalia's Islamist group bans 'samosas' for being 'too Western'

Somalia's extremist Islam fighters have banned samosas after ruling that the popular snacks are too 'Western'

The Al-Shabaab group last week used vehicles mounted with loudspeakers to announce the bizarre ruling across regions of the war-torn country it controls.

The extremist group has offered no official explanation for the ban on the snack, the Daily Mail reports.

The samosa is said to have upset militant Islamists due to a supposed resemblance to the Christian Holy Trinity, the paper said.

The bizarre ban comes just days after militants linked to al-Qaeda in Somalia refused to let some aid workers into the country, as tens of thousands suffered in the nation's massive famine.

The unexpected move means Somalis would now be punished if caught cooking, buying or eating samosas, known locally as 'sambusas'.

The UN last week declared a famine in two parts of the country and warned of millions facing death from starvation.

The Al-Shabaab had previously suggested it would allow foreign agencies to bring in vital food aid to prevent its people from dying.

But the group has now denied the existence of famine and accused Western governments of inventing the crisis as a propaganda tool.