Al-Shabab Militant Wanted by U.S. Surrenders in Somalia

By Mohamed Sheikh Nor

Photographer: Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP via Getty Images

Al-shabab recruits walk down a street in the Deniile district of the Somalian capital,... Read More

A senior al-Shabab militant commander wanted by the U.S. surrendered to Somali authorities.
Zakariya Ismail Hersi phoned the Somali army in advance to announce his plan to surrender, Colonel Hassan Abdi, a Somali army officer, said today in a phone interview.
“This is the first high-profile surrender from the group and the reason behind his capitulation is that he feared for his life after he fell out with the group’s leadership,” Abdi said without elaborating. The U.S. State Department in 2012 offered a $3 million reward for information leading to
the capture of Hersi, describing him as head of the group’s intelligence.
Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a U.S. missile strike on Sept. 1. The assassination followed a series of military setbacks that the al-Qaeda-linked group has suffered since African Union-backed Somali government troops forced the militants to withdraw from Mogadishu in August 2011. Since then, the army has forced the insurgents to relinquish control of about 70 percent of southern and central Somalia, according to the presidency.