Godane leader of Al shabab Fire's top Commander from post

[Coeus]

1,000-Strong Militia Remains Loyal to Ousted Leader


Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen

An estimated 1,000 al-Shabaab fighters accompanied with battle wagons have arrived in Ramcadey village of Bay region's Dinsor district over the last 48 hours. This comes as Moallim Jinaw, al-Shabaab’s military commander for Bay, Bakool and Gedo regions was removed from his post, allegedly by top commander Ahmed Godane (Abu Zubeyr).

Reports confirmed that the fighters remain loyal to the fired commander, who had served in his post for the last four years.

According to reliable sources in Dinsor district, the militia arrived in Ramcadey from Gedo early this this morning.

“They have settled in military camps in the outskirts of the town. Some of them told us that there are rifts between al-Shabaab officials related to the removal of Moallim Jinaw,” Mukhtaar Ali, a Ramcadey resident, told Somalia Report by telephone.

On Saturday, about 200 al-Shabaab fighters who were controlling Raamcadey and other close small villages vacated when some of Mr. Jinaw's militants threatened to confiscate their weapons.

“The militia has seized the military camps and logistical equipment because they are against the steps taken by al-Shabaab authorities,” said Mr. Ali.

Most of Mr. Jinaw's forces have arrived from the Gedo and Bakol front lines, where airstrikes presumed to have been carried out by the Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) have forced al-Shabaab to vacate dozens of villages.

The fired leader was one of the most skilled and popular of al-Shabaab's military commanders, counting many supporters within the group. He was also one of the organization's most prominent trainers.

Shiekh Mahad Omar Abdikarim, the current al-Shabaab governor of Bay and Bakol, was appointed as transitional military commander in Mr. Jinaw's place.

A high level meeting over Mr. Jinaw's dismissal was held in Bay's capital city of Baidoa, which included al-Shabaab security committee officials, local authorities and regional officials. No details are available from the meeting, but sources say that some of the officials aggressively opposed the firing of Mr. Jinaw.

Independent information from Baidoa indicates that Sheikh Omar dispatched battle wagons to Ramcadey on Sunday night, with orders to put down Mr. Jinaw's militia.

Ramcadey traditional elders have called on al-Shabaab officials to be wary of putting civilians in danger. According to Adan Salad, a traditional elder in Ramcadey, local elders have asked top al-Shabaab leaders, including Mukhtar Robow (Abu Mansur), to calm this situation, but Mr. Robow refused to weigh in.

Some sources allege that Ahmed Godane was responsible for firing Mr. Jinaw. In a recorded interview on Sunday afternoon, Mr. Godane commented that al-Shabaab was undergoing military and political divisions that needed to be solved.

[galia]

The Khawariij Pigs are fighting each other. How long will those goons obey that stinky Idoor before they completely turn oh him?