Al-Shabaab defector presented to journalists in Somali capital

The Somali Ministry in charge of national security has displayed to reporters Mohamed Adan Abdirahman, a senior Al-Qaeda leader inside Al-Shabaab, who defected from the group on Sunday.

Mohamed Yusuf, spokesman of the Ministry said in a press conference, that the defector had contacted the government about his decision to defect to the government side, adding that many Al-Shabaab leaders and militias have begun to take advantage of the government’s amnesty.

Speaking to the journalists, the defector explained his defection and said that the groups top leaders issued new regulations ordering them to increase guerrilla attacks in big cities as well as commit suicide attacks,

He said the amnesty opportunity offered by the government to the militias will potentially cause the defection of many Al-Shabaab fighters. Previously, a number of prominent Al-Shabaab leaders defected to the government, including the founder of an Al-Shabaab branch in Puntland region in eastern Somalia, Mohamed Said known as Atom.