Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group launches war on plastic bags

LONDON - MARCH 03: Plastic bags of rubbish discarded on a walkway near Regent's Canal on February 29, 2008 in London, England. The Prime Minister Gordon Brown has stated that he will force retailers to help reduce the use of plastic bags if they do not do so voluntarily. (Photo by Cate Gillon/Getty Images) (2008 Getty Images)

When they're not trying to cause death and destruction, one terror group is setting out to save the environment.

An Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group has decided to follow in the footsteps of cities such as Seattle, San Francisco and Boston and countries like Australia and the United Kingdom in instituting a ban on plastic bags.

Al Shabaab announced on a radio broadcast last week that, in addition to already-prohibited items such as music and movie theaters, residents in areas controlled by the terrorist group will no longer be allowed to use plastic bags -- because of the bags' harmful effects on the environment, according to The New York Times.

Plastic bags “pose a serious threat to the well-being of humans and animals alike,” Mohammed Abu Abdullah, a pro-Al Shabaab governor in Somalia, said in a statement.

The statement also added the group banned logging rare trees, according to the UK Independent.

Mohammed Abdullaahi Ali, a medical student who lives in Mogadishu, was confused over the decision.

“I heard they banned plastic bags via social media,” Ali told The New York Times. “I see it as a good decision, but they must ask themselves: Why do they also ban humanitarian workers from operating in Shabab-controlled areas?”

Al Shabaab was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, but still remains active in Somalia and Kenya carrying out terror attacks.