An Ethiopian national who spent more than four years with the militant group of Al-Shabab has subsequently surrendered to the Somali National Army that is operating in Bakool region, a statement from the Ministry of Defense of Somalia said.
The Defense Ministry said that the Al-Shabab fighter was identified as Mufti and surrendered to the Somali troops based in Quracjoome settlement, while he was one of the foreign fighters belonging to the militant group of Al-Shabab.
According to the statement released by the ministry, the surrendered fighter said that once he came to Somalia, he was named Omar and spent four years with the militant group of Al-Shabab.
The statement further added that the fighter has finally denounced Al-Shabab’s ideology after becoming convinced that Al-Shabab exploits Islamic religion, and that its ideology conflicts with Islamic teachings and the Somali societal norms.
The Defense Ministry went on to say that his decision to quit the group came after he acknowledged that Al-Shabab’s objectives were quite different from what the group preaches.
Government troops working in tandem with local defense forces are currently conducting operations in parts of Bakool region, where Al-Shabab militants are still operational there.
For the past months, the Somali Federal Government has been calling on Al-Shabab members to take advantage of the government’s amnesty program, and heed the call to surrender to government forces.
