Top al Shabab militant surrenders to officials in Somalia

Top al Shabab militant surrenders to officials in Somalia
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi, a top intelligence figure in militant group al Shabab, has surrendered to Somali officials, BBC News reports.

The U.S. State Department offered a $3 million reward in June 2012 for information leading to Hersi's arrest; al Shabab is an al Qaeda-linked group attempting to overthrow the United Nations-supported Somali government. Hersi's surrender comes just two days after al Shabab militants attacked an African Union peacekeeping base in Somalia. The attack killed at least three soldiers, a civilian, and five of the assailants.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.