MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – A military court has sentenced an ISIS member to a lengthy prison term on Monday amid intensified operations against terror groups in Somalia.
According to court documents, Mohamed Ibrahim Omar aka Abu-Ali is said to have been a cameraman for the group in Bari region.
Abu-Ali joined the militant group in 2016, according to the prosecution.
He took part in two clashes between al-Shabaab and ISIS fighters in Murale and Bargal towns in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
The convicted was arrested late last year at Adan Adde Airport in Mogadishu while arriving in Mogadishu from Puntland state.
Abu-Ali was ordered to serve the next 10 years behind bars for participating in fighting against Puntland security forces, and handling terror propaganda.
The convict has a month to appeal against the sentence.
The military court often carries out sentences and executions to Al-Shabaab militants and government soldiers who commit crimes despite condemnation from human rights groups including the EU.
Somali forces backed by troops of African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) has been fighting against al-Shabaab fighters for more than a decade. During the operations by the government forces, al-Shabaab lost major town including Mogadishu.
The forces also fight against pro-Islamic State faction in northeastern Somalia
ISIS was formed in 2015 by former fighters of al-Shabaab, who deserted the group following disagreement with the top leaders of Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate group, which mainly operates in south and central Somalia.
The group leader and founder Abdulkadir Mumin, also a former Al-Shabaab cleric pledged his allegiance to the then IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2015.
In 2016, the U.S. State Department designated Mumin, a former preacher based in the UK as a global terrorist.
The group has its headquarters in Galgala mountains in Bari region but has made headways into southern Somalia.
Discussion about this post