Top Somalia jihadist turns himself over to government

Top Somalia jihadist turns himself over to government
A one-time deputy leader and spokesman for Somalia's al-Shabab insurgents defected to the country's government on Sunday, a local official said.

2 min read
13 August, 2017
Robow was the subject of a $5 million bounty from the United States [AFP]

An al-Shabab leader defected to the country's government on Sunday, a local official confirmed.

Muktar Robow, who was the subject of a $5 million bounty from the United States for his role with the al-Qaeda linked Islamist militants, was a one-time deputy leader and spokesman for the group.

But his split with former al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane four years ago led him to seek safety in his hometown in Somalia's southwest Bakool region, though he never formally renounced the insurgency.

"Muktar Robow defected from Shabab and he is now in Hudur meeting with government officials," district commissioner Mohamed Moalim told reporters, referring to the Bakool district capital.

Godane was killed by a US airstrike in 2014, but the bad blood between the militants and Robow appeared to have continued.

A security source told AFP Robow's surrender came after militants attacked him last week.

His name also no longer appears on the US' Rewards for Justice wanted list.

The defection is a blow to Shabab, which remains deadly in Somalia despite the presence of a 22,000-strong African Union force dedicated to fighting it and supporting the internationally-backed government based in Mogadishu.

Last month, Uganda's military said 12 of its soldiers had been killed in Somalia in an ambush claimed by the group.

Shabab has also carried out attacks in Kenya and Uganda, both contributors to the AU force.

Last month, nine Kenyan civilians were brutally murdered by Somali militants following a cross border raid by al-Shabab into Kenya.

The victims were beheaded with knives after the Somali militants launched a raid on Jima village in south-east Kenya, which lies close to the Somali border. 

Agencies contributed to this report.