Two traditional elders, Ali Maqane and Ahmed Gadaf, who had been collaborating with al-Shabab militants, surrendered to Somali army forces in the Galgadud region, officials say.
According to Somali National Television, Ahmed Ali Gadaf used to work with the group to extort livestock from the residents of Cowswayne village in the Galgadud region. He was one of the elders recently paraded by the group in the town.
Ali Maqane, who had been affiliated with the group for some time, served as a traditional elder responsible for collecting livestock bribes from his clan’s members. Despite surviving multiple attacks by local forces, Maqane continued his involvement with the insurgent group.
On Tuesday, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that his government has set a one-year deadline to expel the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militant group from the country. This comes as the deadline for the remaining African Union peacekeepers to leave looms next December.
Since 2006, the al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab has been conducting a brutal insurgency against the Somali government, seeking to establish its rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
