Somali Minister of Religion, Mukhtar Robow, has doubted the possibility of Al-Shabaab taking control of the capital, Mogadishu.
With religious scholars by his side, Minister Robow said the rumors of Al-Shabaab capturing Mogadishu are unrealistic.
Robow said the capital is not like Kabul, Afghanistan, taken by the Taliban, or Damascus, Syria, taken by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
“Mogadishu is not like Kabul or Damascus, and Al-Shabaab’s leader, Ahmed Dirie, is not Ahmed al-Sharac,” he said.
He praised the Somali National Army forces for pushing back Al-Shabaab’s attempt to reclaim areas in the Middle Shabelle region.
Robow added that Al-Shabaab abducted his sister-in-law and left his nephew, Sa’id Aden Robow, on the road.
“This group separated a mother from her five-month-old child. What kind of religion are they fighting for?” he said.
He also urged Somalis to support the government in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
Robow, once a deputy leader of Al-Shabaab, defected in 2015 due to ideological differences.
After his defection, his militias fought the group in his home region of Bakol, southwestern Somalia.
Since then, he has been Al-Shabaab’s primary target, now fighting against the group despite skepticism over his cause.
Robow’s remarks came weeks after Al-Shabaab returned to the Middle Shabelle region, regaining ground previously lost during military operations in 2023.
