A Leader of Shabab Surrenders

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saturday, December-27, 2014

advertisements

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A leader of the Islamist extremist group Shabab, who had a $3 million bounty on his head, has surrendered in Somalia, a Somali intelligence official said Saturday.
The militant, Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, surrendered to the Somali police in the Gedo region, said the intelligence officer, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the news media.

Mr. Hersi may have surrendered because he fell out with those loyal to Ahmed Abdi Godane, the Shabab’s top leader, who was killed in an American airstrike this year, the officer said.
Mr. Hersi was one of eight top Shabab officials for whom the Obama administration in 2012 offered a total of $33 million in rewards for information leading to their capture.

Despite suffering major losses including the loss of major cities, the militant group remains a threat in Somalia and the rest of East Africa. It has carried out many terrorist attacks in Somalia and some in neighboring countries, including Kenya, whose armies are part of the African Union troops bolstering Somalia’s weak government.

On Thursday, Shabab fighters launched an attack at the African Union base in Mogadishu. Nine people died, including three African Union soldiers, in the attack on the complex, which also houses United Nations offices and Western embassies.

The Shabab said the attack was aimed at a Christmas party and was in retaliation for the killing of Mr. Godane. It claimed that 14 soldiers were killed, but the group often exaggerates the number of people it kills.

The group is waging an insurgency against Somalia’s government, which is trying to rebuild the country after decades of conflict.

Source: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Home
Email

Hiiraan Online