NAIROBI — A leader with the Islamic extremist group Al Shabab, who had a $3 million bounty on his head, surrendered in Somalia, an intelligence official said Saturday.
Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi turned himself in to Somali police in the Gedo region, said the official, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the news media.
Continue reading below
The officer said Hersi may have surrendered after a falling out with those loyal to Ahmed Abdi Godane, Al Shabab’s top leader, who was killed in a US airstrike in September.
Hersi was one of seven top Al Shabab figures sought in 2012 by the Obama administration, which offered a total of $33 million in rewards for information leading to their capture.
It is not clear whether the reward will be paid out for Hersi’s surrender.
Despite major setbacks this year, Al Shabab remains a threat in Somalia and across East Africa. The group has carried out many terror attacks in Somalia and in neighboring countries including Kenya, part of the African Union forces bolstering Somalia’s weak UN- backed government.
On Christmas Day, Al Shabab launched an attack at the African Union base in Mogadishu. Officials said nine people died, including three African Union soldiers, in the battle at the complex, which also houses UN offices and Western embassies.
Al Shabab said the attack was aimed at a Christmas party and was in retaliation for Godane’s death this fall.
It also reported 14 soldiers were killed.
The group is waging an insurgency against Somalia’s government, which is attempting to rebuild the country after decades of conflict.
Al Shabab controlled much of Mogadishu from 2007 to 2011 but was pushed out of Somalia’s capital and other major cities by African Union forces.
The United States and the United Nations warn that political infighting is putting at risk the security gains. The federal government wields little power outside the capital Mogadishu.
Once one of Al Qaeda’s most powerful and feared franchises, Al Shabab has been in retreat for months, pushed back by African Union peacekeepers, defections, and an increasingly hostile populace.
The airstrike in September that killed Godane left the group in further disarray and apparently created a rift in the leadership ranks.
Still, Al Shabab remains dangerous, unpredictable and bold, known for audacious and chilling attacks in Somalia. It has also sought to terrorize neighboring Kenya, where many Somali refugees have fled over the years.
This month, Al Shabab attackers seized dozens of Kenyan miners, separated the Christians from the Muslims, and executed the Christians, according to Kenyan authorities.
Last month Al Shabab attackers hijacked a Kenya bus, pulled out the Christian passengers and killed them.
Earlier this month, a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a UN convoy near Mogadishu’s airport, killing three people, just after Somalia’s president entered the protected airport area.
According to UN officials, no UN staff were killed or injured.