A former British-based hate preacher has re-emerged in an ISIS video, leading a band of jihadis in Somalia.
Abdul
Qadir Mumin used to be a key recruiter and facilitator for the al-Qaeda
affiliated Al-Shabaab in Somalia after fleeing his home in South
London.
He
became one of the few high profile al-Shabaab figures to switch his
allegiance to ISIS and has since fled with a small band of jihadis to
the remote mountains in Puntland.
Abdul Qadir Mumin used to be a key recruiter and facilitator for the
al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab in Somalia after fleeing his home in
South London
Mumin
used to preach at Greenwich mosque, which is believed to have been where
Mohammed Emwazi and Michael Adebolajo occasionally attended prayers.
Upon fleeing to Somalia in 2010, Mumin burnt his passport and declared he would spend the rest of his life fighting jihad.
Mumin,
who also used to reside in Sweden, was reportedly spotted by Somali
forces after the government re-gained control of the village of Galgala,
according to Sky News.
Residents
described how Mumin and his small group of ISIS fighters had raided the
village, torching houses and attacking civilians for not covering up.
Although
ISIS have gained considerable territory in Syria, Iraq and Libya, the
militant group has struggled to gain a real footing in the Horn of
Africa.
Only a
small number of al-Shabaab fighters, around 20 fighters in Puntland,
have followed Mumin in giving bayah (allegiance) to ISIS.
Despite
a deluge of Somali-speaking propaganda videos urging al-Shabaab
fighters to join ISIS, the al-Qaeda group retains much of its army in
Somalia.
Mumin,
also known as Ikrima al-Muhajir, previously served as a senior figure
in al-Shabaab before becoming one of the few high profile figures to
join ISIS.
His switch was announced through an audio statement early last year, prompting an al-Shabaab crackdown on ISIS dissenters.
Al-Shabaab
insurgents attacked a Somali military base on Tuesday and killed five
soldiers in two hours of fierce fighting near the northwestern town of
Baidoa, a military officer said.
Mumin, also known as Ikrima
al-Muhajir, previously served as a senior figure in al-Shabaab before
becoming one of the few high profile figures to join ISIS
Somali and English speaking ISIS fighters in Libya appeal to Somalis to defect from al-Shabaab to ISIS
Al-Shabaab insurgents attacked a
Somali military base on Tuesday and killed five soldiers in two hours of
fierce fighting near the northwestern town of Baidoa, a military
officer said
'Al-Shabaab
militants attacked early in the morning. Five soldiers died and 12
others were wounded,' captain Aden Nur told Reuters from Baidoa. Six
al-Shabaab fighters were killed, he added.
Abdiasis
Abu Musab, the group's military operations spokesman, said it had
ambushed a truck carrying troops to reinforce the base, killed 11
soldiers and seized seven guns.
'We exploded the truck using a planted bomb and then ambushed,' he told Reuters.
It was not possible to verify the death toll independently. Al-Shabaab has inflated casualty figures in the past.
Abdul Qadir Mumin is thought to be
hiding in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland in north-eastern
Somalia. Puntland takes its name from the Land of Punt and wishes to
remain part of a federal Somalia
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