Wednesday July 24, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - Two al-Shabab militant leaders surrendered to the Somali army forces stationed in the Bula Mare district in the Lower Shabelle region on Tuesday.
Somali state-owned media reported that Abdi Mohamed Araaye, known within al-Shabab as Abdirashid, surrendered to the 60th Armed Forces Division. Araaye, who was in charge of finance, had been a group member for 14 years before deciding to leave and handing himself over to the federal government.
The second defector, Khalif Mohamed Abdi, known as Khalid, who had been with al-Shabab for ten years, also surrendered to the armed forces, specifically the 19th unit of the 3rd brigade.
The number of al-Shabab members surrendering has increased over the past two years, coinciding with the Somali government's military offensive to regain major strategic areas in the southern and central regions.
The most recent operation took place in Jubbaland State this week, where over 80 militants were killed as they attempted to overrun three army bases. The government forces repelled the attacks and safely detonated four car bombs around 80 km (50 miles) southwest of the port city of Kismayo in Jubbaland State.