Pro-Alshabab elder defects to Somali Government

Pro-AlShabab traditional elder has defected to the government to soldiers in Adado, official said Monday.

The defector named, Ahmed Ali Gees said that he deserted the group and decided surrender himself to the government.

According to security officer in Adado, the defector was among the traditional elders backing the groups with necessary assistance from the clans living in the region.

“The government soldiers caught a man called Ahmed Ali Gees, interrogating him, he told them that he had escaped from Al-Shabab and was willing to surrender to the Somali Government” said the officer.

It is unclear if the man had still been active within Al-Shabab in recent months or weeks.

The number of Al-Shabab members defecting to the government including senior officials has continued to increase while the group has lost major strategic controls it once controlled.