Former Al-Shabaab deputy leader surrenders

Former Al-Shabaab deputy leader and spokesman Mukhtar Robow Ali surrendered to Somali authorities on Sunday, according to a state official.

Robow, a co-founder of the Somali terrorist group, turned himself over to authorities in the town of Hudur, 400 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, said Hassan Hussein Mohamed, minister of internal security for south west state.

Robow, also called "Abu Mansur," left Al-Shabaab in 2013 after falling out with its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US drone strike in September 2014.

The wanted man was attacked by Al-Shabaab militants in his hometown of Abal last week after initiating talks with the Somali government for his surrender.

Somali Defense Minister Abdirashid Abdullahi Mohamed met with Robow in Hudur on Sunday, before Robow was flown to Mogadishu, where he is expected to hold a press conference.

The United States removed a $5 million bounty for Robow last June. The bounty had been in place since 2012.

Al-Shabaab aims to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state. The group has been blamed for attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries that have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers.