In a news conference held in the seaside Somali capital, Paddy Akunda, the spokesman of AMISOM forces noted that the defected youngsters became isolated in al Shabaab military trenches after their companions ran away from their battlefield in Mogadishu’s Hodan district.
“These brothers of ours defected from al Shabaab this morning. They surrendered with four guns and we are happy they came to us (Somali government and AMISOM)” Akunda told reporters here in Mogadishu. The defected ones are well treated, he spelled out.
“We did not call them, but they decided to surrender and come to us, and we urging other young brothers to leave from that militant group and join us” the spokesman mentioned.
The teenagers, whose ages ranging were between 10 and 16 years, looked exhausted and haggard.
One of defected adolescents, who identified his name as Abdulkadir, said that they were 15 fighters in Hodan war zones, adding that 11 of them escaped after firefight intensified on Sunday.
“We were four and hid ourselves in a decimated house in Hodan district. Last night, we all agreed to yield after daybreak to save our lives” Abdulkadir said.
The event comes as Somali army with the help of African Union peacekeepers has redoubled combat operations against al Qaeda linked group al Shabaab.
On Saturday, Somali forces penetrated into new al Shabaab trenches and managed to seize Wadnaha road, a key routine at the center of Mogadishu and very close to Bakaara market.
In the last two months, more than 80 al Shabaab militants surrendered to Somali government. All young defected fighters said they deserted the terrorist group after they failed to tolerate so longer.
In Feb. al Shabaab has lost key military trenches in Mogadishu and border town of Belet-Hawo in Gedo region in southern Somalia.
DAMN THE KHAWARIJS
