This is a rumor, but it still bears watching. Sunatimes reported that Shabaab’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubeyr (AKA Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed Godane,) has traveled twice, via Kenya, to the UAE to visit his wife and family in Sharjah:
The reclusive leader made unreported trips to United Arab Emirate to visit his wife and children are had been living in UAE since 2008.
The report says that Abu Zubeyr traveled to UAE in March 3, 2010, through Kenya Khat flight and second time was crossed the border as a normal man.
March 3, 2010″He took a flight which brought Khat, green stimulant leafs, to KM50 airport, an air strip controlled by Alshabab which locates 50kms in the south of Mogadishu”
Abu Zubeyr was confirmed having a Kenyan passport with unidentified name, and he also has a resident permit from UAE which some Somali businessmen facilitated for him to make sure that he can visit his family when needed.
A source close to Alshabab, which is in UAE told us that Abu Zubeyr visited his wive Hibo Sheikh Abdirahman (Barawe) who lives with his in Sharjah. And he spent six days with them according to the source which claimed anonymity because of security reasons.
This wife, Hibo, who is descent from Shiiqaal-Hawiye clan but her mother is Issa-Musse of Isaq clan got the resident permit from one of the Amirs of UAE who had relationship with her father who was working for the Amir long time, according to the source.
She moved from Hargeysa in October 2008 when Alshabab launched the deadly suicide targeted to the Somaliland presidential palace, the Ethiopian business council in Hargeysa and the UNDP head quarters.
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1 Comment
We feel sad for this since we are from Somaliland.