Shabaab militants jail one of their own leaders

Militants loyal to Somalia’s Al Shabaab have reportedly imprisoned one of their own leaders, Sheikh Yusuf Sheikh Issa, better known as Kabkutukade.

Kulmiye, an independent broadcaster in Mogadishu, and other news outlets reported the imprisonment late on Friday. The news was first made public by pro-Shabaab websites on Friday.

Sheikh Kabkutukade is a long-term Al-Shabaab militia leader and was the movement’s governor in charge of Middle Shabelle region, north of Mogadishu.

Individuals close to Sheikh Kabkutukade reportedly said the hardliner clergyman had contacted them.

“He told us that he and his companions were imprisoned,” they said, adding that mobile phones and weapons were taken from them.

Reports did not indicate when and where the governor and his mates were held.

Although it is not officially known why one of the old guards of Al-Shabaab was jailed, information being dispatched by the media indicated that Kabkutukade was first invited to attend a religious awareness seminar.

He was allegedly called by Ahmed Abdi Godane, the top leader of Al-Shabaab, who is also known as Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abdurahman Abu Zubayr.

INTERNAL RIFT

The Harakatu Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahedeen (Movement of Youth Jihadists) has recently been plagued by internal rift.

Reports indicate that at least two factions within the movement oppose each other.

Ahmed Godane, the Supreme Leader of the Al Shabaab, appear to be taking harder lines and neutralising those opposed to him

In June, Sheikh Ibrahim Haji Jama alias al-Afghani and Abdihamid Hashi Olhaye alias Moalim Burhan, two of the founders of Al-Shabaab movement, were killed in Barawe town, 200 km south of Mogadishu.

On June 29, Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Mus’ab, the Al-Shabaab spokesman for militia operations, confirmed that some Al-Shabaab officials died in the incident.

He added the deaths occurred in a fire exchange in Barawe town between Godane’s militants and the defenders of Al-Afghani and Moalim Burhan.

He blamed them for opposing the directions of the top leadership led by Godane.

Following the deadly incident, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, another hardliner jihadist, fled Barawe town by boat and managed to reach the central region ofSomalia..

Mr Aweys later surrendered to the Somali government and was flown to the capital Mogadishu where he has since remained in custody.

The internal conflict within Al-Shabaab also caused the killing of Omar Shafik Hammami alias Al-Amriki, an international jihadist originating from the United States, in September.

“If the imprisonment of Sheikh Yusuf Kabkutukade is true, it is going to be another blow to the structure and functionality of the Al-Qaeda linked movement,” remarked Hassan Mohamud, a media official in Mogadishu.