Mogadishu (Kaab TV) – The Federal Government of Somalia has announced the surrender of one Al-Shabaab member identified as Ali Mohamed Olow to Somali National Army forces operating in the Lower Shabelle region.
According to a statement issued by the government, Somali army troops stationed in the Mubarak area received the surrender of Ali Mohamed Olow, who arrived carrying an AK-47 rifle and his personal belongings.
Officials said the former militant had fled from the Ugunji area in Lower Shabelle, where Al-Shabaab fighters had recently been reinforced amid ongoing military pressure from government forces and allied local militias.
The government also stated that Olow had previously fought alongside Al-Shabaab militants in several regions, including Hiiran, Lower Shabelle, and Middle Shabelle, areas that have witnessed some of the country’s most intense clashes between Somali forces and the armed group in recent years.
Speaking after surrendering, the former fighter reportedly said the harsh conditions, constant fear, internal mistrust, and difficulties inside Al-Shabaab pushed him to abandon the group.
“He realized he was on the wrong path and decided to surrender,” the government statement said.
The surrender comes as Somali authorities continue large-scale military offensives against Al-Shabaab across central and southern Somalia.
Since 2022, the Somali government, supported by local clan militias known as Ma’awisley fighters and international partners, has intensified operations aimed at weakening the militant group’s control over rural territories.
Somali officials have repeatedly encouraged Al-Shabaab members to defect, promising rehabilitation, reintegration programs, and amnesty opportunities for those who surrender peacefully.
Al-Shabaab, which has been fighting the Somali government for more than 15 years, continues to carry out bombings, assassinations, and armed attacks despite ongoing military campaigns against the group.
Security analysts say increasing defections from the group could signal growing pressure on Al-Shabaab fighters as military operations, airstrikes, and local uprisings continue to disrupt the organization’s activities in several regions of Somalia.