Somalia: Ex-house speaker's driver defects to Al-Shabaab

MOGADISHU, Somalia - An elite driver attached to the immediate former speaker of the Lower House Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Osman has defected to Al-Shabaab militants, in one of the most shocking incidents which trigger questions about the safety of VIPs in the Horn of Africa nation.

Usually, former government officials of Mursal's caliber are accorded protection with their drivers highly trained over security reasons, and the man in question is a beneficiary of the same. Mursal lost to Sheikh Madobe during the epic house leadership battle this year.

While receiving news about the defection, Mursal noted that he was extremely mesmerized by the turn out of events, adding that "this is completely unexpected". He said throughout their cooperation he has never noticed "funny behavior and elements of extremism".

A video making rounds in social media platforms showed the driver acknowledging that he had since shifted his allegiance to Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaida-linked group causing havoc in central and southern Somalia. The group is struggling to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

In his interview with the Voice of America, the man claimed his decision to join the group was motivated by "personal security" concerns which he did not elaborate and the "insufficient" pay from the government. Such motivations for joining the group are synonymous.

Mursal said the defector had been trained as a VIP driver and could drive the armored vehicles donated by the US government to the federal government of Somalia. He underwent the training before being transferred to the office of the former speaker.

Asked about whether the man was involved in a recent complex attack targeting a hotel next to the presidential palace and fled as a result, the former speaker said he was waiting for the findings of an investigation by security agencies.

The Al-Shabaab militants are currently on the receiving end, forcing quite a number of them to run away from the country following massive operations in central Somalia and southern regions. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently said it is "just a matter of time" before the national army takes full control of HirShabelle and Galmadug.

GAROWE ONLINE