Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi surrendered to Somali police in the Gedo region, said the intelligence officer, who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.
These West African names and alliances can be confusing. Another al-Shabaab militant turned himself in to Puntland police forces in Galgala last August. Puntland spokesperson Ahmed Omar Hirsi said “He was a long-time member of al-Shabaab who worked in southern regions such as Kismayo and Mogadishu. He has now decided to leave them, and so he surrendered to the military forces based in Bari region,” .
Qalalan surrendered with a large machine gun, a satellite phone, radio transmitter and documents from which valuable intelligence will be obtained, Hirsi said.
Qalalan had lost hope in al-Shabaab, whose forces have been diminished and their position weakened, Colonel Jamaa Saeed Warsame told Somalia’s Radio Garowe. Qalalan expressed remorse for his criminal actions, Warsame said.
The Galgala militia announced in March that it officially joined the al-Shabaab network, and has maintained close supervision on its agents. Since then, many al-Shabaab leaders and fighters have defected to Puntland forces.