One of the Senior Leaders of Al-Shabaab in Somalia Surrendered

Somali officials say Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, one of the senior leaders of the Al-Shabaab group in Somalia, has surrendered to government forces and African Union soldiers and is now in custody. Official sources stated that Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, referred to as the group's intelligence chief, was arrested near the border of Somalia with Kenya and Ethiopia. According to AFP, Jama Musi, a military official in the region, said, 'Zakariya Ahmed was a very high-ranking official in the group who worked with [the deceased Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi] Godane.' Another Somali military official, Mohamed Ismail, stated that he had been hiding in a house near the border and contacted government officials to surrender. The British newspaper The Guardian also reported the news of Zakariya Ahmed's surrender, citing an unnamed Somali security official. The United States has set cash rewards under a program called 'Rewards for Justice' for information that could prevent the execution of terrorist plots, with $3 million allocated for Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi. The Guardian notes that he is one of seven senior Al-Shabaab officials for whom the U.S. State Department allocated a total of $33 million in 2012 for information leading to their capture. On Saturday, January 6, the U.S. State Department declined to comment on the news of Zakariya Ahmed's surrender. Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, is responsible for various attacks that have claimed many civilian lives. For instance, on November 30, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack on a mine in northern Kenya near the Somali border, killing at least 36 workers. They also attacked an African Union soldiers' base on Christmas Day, resulting in the deaths of 14 people, including eight attackers. In related news, Islamists killed dozens in Kenya 'while watching the World Cup.' The Pentagon confirmed the death of the leader of Al-Shabaab in Somalia. The Yemeni army freed eight hostages, including one foreigner, from Al-Qaeda captivity.