A senior intelligence wing commander of al-Shabab surrendered to Somali and African Union forces on Saturday, according to officials.
Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, a leading figure in the Islamist militant organisation, surrendered to police in the Gedo near the border with Kenya and Ethiopia. The US state department was offering $3m for information leading to his capture, one of eight top al-Shabab figures whom the US administration offered a total of $33m in rewards for.
Hersi is known to have fallen out with and former al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US air strike three months ago. An alleged rift between Hersi and newly appointed al-Shabab leader Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah, is reported to have motivated Hersi to surrender.
His surrender comes after an al-Shabab attack on an African Union base in Mogadishu left at least 9 dead, including 3 African Union soldiers.
Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, a leading figure in the Islamist militant organisation, surrendered to police in the Gedo near the border with Kenya and Ethiopia. The US state department was offering $3m for information leading to his capture, one of eight top al-Shabab figures whom the US administration offered a total of $33m in rewards for.
Hersi is known to have fallen out with and former al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US air strike three months ago. An alleged rift between Hersi and newly appointed al-Shabab leader Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah, is reported to have motivated Hersi to surrender.
His surrender comes after an al-Shabab attack on an African Union base in Mogadishu left at least 9 dead, including 3 African Union soldiers.