MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group had displayed two soldiers whom it says were defetected from the government of Somalia.
The two defected soldiers wearing military uniforms and armed with AK-47s were part of Somali army forces operating in Marka and Shalanbod towns.
The group says it had welcomed the soldiers and allowed them to join in Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab.
Al Qaeda inspired group has been waging insurgency for more than ten years in Somalia.
The Al Qaeda inspired group also lost key towns to Somali army forces backed by African Union troops following joint military operations.
But, the group still controls large swathes of territory in rural areas in south and central Somalia.
The group, which once controlled much of Mogadishu capital in 2011, wants to overthrow the UN-backed Somali government and has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control.
