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Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...terrorists, military sources confirmed on Friday.
The recruits have been accused of spying for the US Central Intelligence Agency and others targeting the Lion of Islams’ camps in Somalia.
Joseph Kanyiri, director of the Boni Enclave Campaign, said some of those running away is part of the Jaish Ayman elite squad, made up of many Kenyans.
Kanyiri noted a multi-agency team has scaled up security along the border with Somalia to deal with armed fighters.
On Tuesday, more than 100 Lions of Islam were killed in a camp 125 miles northwest of Mogadishu.
"We are aware the condition in Somalia is not conducive to them and that they have decided to flee to the country. We urge them to surrender to authorities," he told The Star on Friday.
Somalia’s government said on Wednesday it had requested the
"Those Lions of Islam were preparing explosives and attacks. Operations against al-Shabaab have been stepped up," Abdirahman Omar Oman, the Somali minister, told Rooters.
"We have asked the US to help us from the air to make our readied ground offensive more successful."