Top al Shabab militant surrenders to officials in Somalia

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.

Somali intelligence officials suggested that Hersi may have decided to surrender because of disputes within the militant group about who should lead al Shabab. Former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed in a U.S. air strike in September, and the group named Ahmad Umar their new leader just days later.

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