An internal wrangles ocassioning division has rocked Alshabab top leadrship.
The division is putting Ahmed Diriye Ali (Abu Ubeyda), and the wing led by Mahad Karatee, the head of security, which is the security and intelligence agency of the Al-Shabaab organization.
In a report published on the website of Akbaralan, it is said that Mahad Karatee is gradually strengthening his desire to take the leadership seat and this issue came to light after Al-Shabaab’s failed invasion of eastern Ethiopia last July, where hundreds of Al-Shabaab fighters were killed.
The report says that after the attack, the weakness of Al-Shabaab’s power was exposed which makes it appear there’s a vaccum needs a change in leadership.
While there are reports that health condition of the leader of the group, Ahmed Deri, is getting worse, the chance of Karatee taking over the leadership of Al-Shabaab has been gaining momentum especially after the killing of Abdallahi Nadir, who was killed in an airstrike carried out by the US forces in early October.
This officer was one of the most obvious men to take over from Ahmed Diriye, because he was the coordinator of all the activities of the Al-Shabaab group, and was in charge of the war, according to the Minister of Defence, Abd Qadir Mohamed Noor.
A recent report said that Al-Shabaab collects more money than the Somali government.
A report published by the United Nations stated that the annual budget of this group is close to 100 million dollars, which is mostly paid under compulsion.
About a quarter of this money has been allocated to purchase modern weapons. It is known that Mahad Karati behaves in a way that is described as being independent from the leadership of the group, and because of this he was stripped of various positions that he previously held, but he was able to become stronger and prove his influence In Alshabaab circles nonetheless.
He is very close to the leadership position, as he leads the Al-Shabaab wing in charge of intelligence and security, as well as finance.
Karatee, whose name is Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, has been on the US terrorist watch list since April 10, 2015, and the US State Department’s reward for justice program is offering a $5 million reward for information about him.
He played an important role in suicide attacks and planned killings in Somalia, Kenya and other countries in the region, and his name was also added to the list of sanctions by the United Nations Security Council on February 26, 2021, for allegedly participation in actions that threaten the peace and stability of Somalia.
The current division is pitting wrangles and struggles by acrimony in quest to have several individuals position themselves in the leadrship role amid a growing onslaught against the group by the Somali government.
