A senior Islamist commander and weapons smuggler in northern
Somalia who has long been tied to Shabaab has officially declared
allegiance to the terror group and al Qaeda.
The merger was confirmed by Shabaab at its official Twitter account,
HSM Press Office [Harakat Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen Press Office], as
well as with a radio statement by a senior Islamist leader from the
semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northern Somalia.
"Following the London Conference, the Mujahideen in Galgala area of
Puntland have officially become part of Harakat Al-Shabaab Al
Mujahideen,"
the first tweet from HSM Press Office declared.
"The Mujahideen in Northern #Somalia have now formally pledged
allegiance to Sh. Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, Emir of Harakat Al-Shabaab Al
Mujahideen,"
it continued.
"Apart from reigning over the Golis Mountain range, Mujahideen
control several towns/villages surrounding Bosaaso, commercial hub of
Puntland,"
HSM Press Office said.
"The Mujahideen of Somalia now dominate the vast stretch of
mountainous terrains of the North as well as the fertile plains of the
South,"
HSM Press Office boasted, while ignoring the fact that Shabaab fighters
abandoned the strategic western city of Baidoa to advancing Ethiopian and Somali troops just this week.
HSM Press Office's announcement was paired with a statement from a
spokesman for Sheikh Mohammed Said Atom, who leads a large group of
Islamist fighters in Puntland. Yasin Khalid Osman 'Yasin Kilwe,' who
leads a group of fighters under Atom and serves as his spokesman, said
the group "joined" with Shabaab and welcomed the merger with al Qaeda,
according to Somalia Report. Osman's statement was broadcast on Al-Andalus, Shabaab's official radio station.
"I swear allegiance and adherence to the Amir of Harakat Shabab al
Mujahidin Sheikh Muktar Abu Zubayr," said Osman, who described himself
as the "Emir of the mujahidin in Golis mountains." Osman
"I want to praise God for the unity of our Shabaab brothers with al Qaeda fighters," Osman continued, according to
Somalia Report.
"This is a great victory for the all mujahideen in the world, marking
the unity of Muslim jihadists in the world for the first time in recent
years. I want to declare today that we are joined with our al Shabaab
brothers who are devoted to the Jihad in Somalia. On behalf of the
mujahideen fighters in Galgala mountains, I want to confirm to you that
we shall obey the orders of the leader of the Shabaab mujahideen, Sheikh
Muktar Abu Zubayr who will also be our leader."
Osman also said that for the northern Somali jihadists, "this is the
first step toward the start of proper solidarity with all Muslim
jihadists in the world."
Atom's pledge of fealty takes place just two weeks after
Shabaab announced its official merger with a Qaeda.
The two terror groups have been intricately linked for years, and the
announcement of the merger was merely the formal acknowledgment of the
ties between the two groups. Several days later, the Muslim Youth Center
in Kenya
announced its merger with Shabaab and al Qaeda East Africa.
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