Sun Aug 13, 2017 1:37PM
Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, a former commander of Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants.
Somalia has announced that a senior commander of the militant al-Shabaab group has finally defected to the country’s military.
A military official said on Sunday that Mukhtar Robow Abu Mansur, a former spokesman and deputy leader of al-Shabaab, had defected to the government forces.
Colonel Nur Mohamed, a Somali military officer, said that Robow was now in the southwestern town of Hudur and officials in the capital Mogadishu were waiting for him.
“Robow and his seven bodyguards are now in Hudur with local officials. He will be flown to Mogadishu soon,” said Mohamed, without elaborating on what had finally persuaded Robow to officially defect to Somali’s military.
Sheikh Robow and his loyalists had been laying low in jungles of Bay and Bakool since the commander broke ties with Shabaab four years ago. He was target of several attacks by Shabaab militants who tried to kill or capture him. The government said in June that it had dispatched soldiers to protect the militant commander and that negotiations were underway to convince him to defect.
It was not immediately clear whether Robow’s decision to defect was related to a move by the United States government two months ago to take off the notorious militant commander from a list of wanted terrorists. Washington removed a USD five-million reward for his capture and exonerated him from charges of sponsoring terrorism after five years.
The Somali government, which still grapples with Shabaab-led militancy in some areas six years after the group was purged from the capital, hopes that recruiting Sheikh Robow could give the military more operational freedom in Bay and Bakool which could effectively slice Shabaab’s operational territory in two.
Some, however, have criticized the defection, saying Robow should stand trial for the atrocities he has committed during years of insurgency.
Al-Shabab’s Mukhtar Robow surrenders to government
Mukhtar Robow, a founding father of group, reportedly taken to Mogadishu after surrendering to government forces.
A renegade leader of Somalia’s al-Shabab has defected to the regional government, severing ties to the armed group that has been carrying out attacks in the country, according to a Somali military official.
Al Jazeera has learned that Mukhtar Robow has been airlifted to Mogadishu, after surrendering earlier on Sunday to Somali forces in the government-controlled town of Hudur in the country’s southwest.
Ahmed Mohamed, a senior government security official, earlier said Robow was taken from the Bakool jungle area, where he and hundreds of his fighters had been battling al-Shabab since early last week.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow, who had interviewed Robow, said the defection is significant as he is one of the founding leaders of al-Shabab, and is the only one living today.
READ MORE: US military sets sights on al-Shabab in Somalia
Earlier this week, Robow lost at least 19 of his fighters to al-Shabab, our correspondent said.
Robow’s defection comes after the US in June cancelled a $5m reward offered for his capture.
His surrender is culmination of months of talks between the Somali government, and it is believed the cancellation of the bounty for his capture helped convince Robow to turn himself in.
Robow, who was the deputy director of al-Shabab, is the most senior figure to have quit the group since its founding in 2001.
Falling out with al-Shabab
Estimated to be in his 50s, Robow is one of al-Shabab’s most experienced leaders, having travelled to Afghanistan and trained alongside al-Qaeda back in 2000 after studies in Sudan.
Robow had served as an al-Shabab spokesman, military commander and spiritual leader who planned and executed deadly attacks on Somali government troops and African Union peacekeeping forces, according to the US government.
Analysis – Al-Shabab attacks African Union base in Somalia
Robow and al-Shabab parted ways in 2013, and since then he had been laying low in the jungles with his forces.
Al-Shabab had launched multiple attacks to try kill or capture him.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to Robow now that he has been captured. But residents and an analyst were doubtful over the impact of the move.
Mohamed Aden, a history lecturer at a Mogadishu university, told Reuters: “If criminals are not taken to court, then there will be no peace.”
Al-Shabab last year was named the deadliest armed group in Africa, with more than 4,200 people killed in 2016, according to the Washington, DC-based Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
The fighters pledged to step up attacks after the recently elected government of President Mohamed Abdullahi “Farmajo” Mohamed launched a new military offensive against it.
Al-Shabab also faces a new military push from the US after President Donald Trump approved expanded operations, including air strikes.
Fluctuating fortunes
Al-Shabab has been fighting for years to try to topple Somalia’s central government and rule the Horn of Africa country according to their own interpretation of Islamic law.
The fighters were driven out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011.
They have also since lost nearly all other territory they previously controlled after an offensive by Somali government troops and AU-mandated AMISOM peacekeepers.
Al-Shabab, nevertheless, remains a formidable threat and frequently carries out bombings both in Mogadishu and other towns against both military and civilian targets.
On the frontline of Somalia’s fight against al-Shabab
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies