Senior Al-Shabaab Member Surrenders to Government Forces in Mudug

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MUDUG: A senior member of the Al-Shabaab militant group has surrender to government forces at Hinlabi area in Mudug region.

Ismail Hassan Ali made contact with local forces in the region to hand him over to government forces who then handed him to National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) officers for further interrogation.  

NISA officials said the defector will first be taken through various rehabilitation programs to enable him be fit to integrate into the public and join his family and friends.

On Monday, NISA officers paraded ten Al-Shabaab members who also defected and surrendered to national forces at Baidao, South West state.

In a statement, NISA said the men who surrendered held various ranks within the militant group and that the defections could be as a result of internal wrangling and increasing pressure due to the ongoing operations against the group by government forces backed by its international allies.

Those who spoke to the media indicated reasons they defected due to harsh living conditions in the group and the problems the group cause to the Somali people.