MOGADISHU - Al Shabaab militant group in Somalia has publicly admitted killing two senior officials, underscoring the growing violent dispute within the militant group, Garowe Online reports.| That is just grand... |
"We are informing their family members of the killing and we [Al Shabaab] buried them," said Abu Musab.
He dismissed media reports that Ibrahim Afghani and Moallim Burhan were captured and executed by Al Shabaab militants. Instead, Abu Musab claimed that the two deceased Al Shabaab officials were killed in an operation to arrest them after they fought back.
| "You'll never take us alive!" "We don't intend to!" |
Similarly, Abu Musab said another operation in Ramo Adey village of Bay region to arrest a senior Al Shabaab member, Muktar Robow Abu Mansur, resulted in the killing of an Al Shabaab fighter sent to arrest Abu Mansur, who later escaped.
Abu Musab said unnamed persons "who were dividing Al Shabaab had escaped Barawe", and some reports said Abu Musab was referring to Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, who was detained in Galgadud region after escaping Barawe and is currently jailed by the Somali federal government in Mogadishu.
This development marks the growing violent dispute within Al Shabaab ranks, as Al Shabaab chief Ahmed Abdi Godane is fighting former comrades for domination of Al Shabaab group. Ibrahim Afghani was Godane's deputy and was wanted by the U.S. government with a US$7million bounty.