Senior Al-Shabaab commander surrenders in Somalia - military

BAIDOA, Somalia - In the middle of the ongoing Al-Shabaab attacks in Somalia, a senior member of the Al-Qaida linked group surrendered over the weekend to government soldiers as the country struggles to contain violent extremism that is joe entering its 16th year.

The government troops have intensified a crackdown against the militants in the Southwest region where the militants have been waging persistent attacks against civilians, security forces, and senior government officials.

State-owned Radio Mogadishu, citing unnamed military officials reported that a senior Somali National Army [SNA] official said a seasoned militant who had been behind attacks within Baidoa, the regional administrative capital of Southwest, surrendered to the national army.

Although his name was not immediately made public, it is believed the militant has been coordinating attacks on behalf of Al-Shabaab in the region for the last five years. In the past few years, a number of militants have been surrounding the government.

For the last one week, Al-Shabaab militants have killed over 60 people mainly civilians and security forces. In Mogadishu, ten people died following an explosion at the airport while at Beletwyene, over 50 people died.

Reports from Beledweyne indicate hundreds of those who were injured are yet to be treated after hospitals were badly damaged. At Af-Urur village in the Bari region of Puntland, over 12 Al-Shabaab militants and four soldiers died during the exchange of fire.

Al-Shabaab has heightened attacks during the busy electoral calendar in Somalia, with the US blaming politics for the latest incidents. A number of people also believe some of the attacks were targeting politicians including Amina Mohamed Abdi, an MP who was killed last week.

GAROWE ONLINE