12 al Shabaab militants were killed after a botched attack on a convoy carrying the Hiran governor Ali Jetye Osman and other military officials in central Somalia. The ambush targeted at the convey happened near Hees Village, about 80 kilometres northwest of the regional capital, Beledweyn.
According to security sources, the governor at the rest of convoy survived, but two officers were killed in the incident. The al Shabaab group that orchestrated the attack are believed to be among those fleeing the south due to US airstrikes as they head to Puntland. The fleeing Mujahideen are desperate as they do not have supplies, are suffering major losses and injuries and they are scared seeing as they do not sympathizers among the Somali residents.
The desperation has been further fueled by the mass defection of top commanders, foreign fighters as well as native fighters who feel that the agenda of al Shabaab does not represent what they believe in. The defections have also triggered a lot of infighting as people believe that they are targeted and executed on mere suspicion.
