MOGADISHU – A senior al-Shabab leader had surrendered to Somali National Army (SNA) forces in southern Somalia on Friday evening in the latest defection amid intensified military operation against the terror group.
The SNA Radio reported that Mohamed Hassan known as Abu Ali, the head of al-Shabab’s so-called court in Kunturwaarey, surrendered in Qoryoley district in Lower Shabelle region.
“Mohamed who has been a member of al-Shabab for several years has denounced the group’s ideology,” SNA radio said.
The latest incident comes amid sustained operations by government forces against al-Shabab in central and southern parts of Somalia where the militants still control swathes of rural areas where they conduct ambushes and plant landmines.
