Senior Al Shabaab defector Mukhtar Geney has suddenly died in the city of Baydhabo in Somalia’s Bay province, sources reveal.

Sources that spoke with Halgan Media on condition of anonymity have confirmed Mukhtar Geney, a former insurgent commander whom defected from the militant group Al Shabaab was poisoned mid afternoon on Thursday.

Mukhtar was said to have been at a cafe in Baydhabo, conversating with locals when he suddenly received a call presumably from someone close. Eyewitnesses reveal Mukhtar abruptly got up and left the cafe and never returned.

Shortly afterwards it was discovered Mukhtar had fainted and subsequently died. His death sparked deep suspicion amongst the locals. Reliable sources have informed Halgan Media that Mukhtar Geney was poisoned while at the cafe by those around him and later died.

Who was Mukhtar Geney ?

Mukhtar Geney was a former Al Shabaab commander that spearheaded a vicious insurgency in southwest Somalia. He led an elite unit within the militant movement for close to a decade prior to his defection in 2017.

                       Photo : Mukhtar Geney

Sources have revealed Mukhtar Geney at one point was the personal bodyguard of the US born American jihadist, Omar Hammami better known as Abu Mansuur Al Amriki who fought within the ranks of Al Shabaab prior to dying of suspicious circumstances in 2013. 

          Photo : Omar Hammami (Al Amiriki).

Mukhtar Geney defected from Al Shabaab in 2017 and fled into the bushes, in which he remained hiding til 2019. It’s not clear weather Mukhtar had contact with others while on the run.

However during that same year (2019), Mukhtar arrived in the city of Baydhabo in Bay province. Following his defection, he was entrusted to lead Anti Al Shabaab operations in the area administered by the autonomous Southwest regional state.

The brazen murder of Mukhtar Geney has sparked a deep level of paranoia within the growing number of Al Shabaab defectors operating in Baydhabo’s security apparatus.

Sources with intricate knowledge on the matter have confirmed authorities in Baydhabo have decided to bury the incident under the rug instead of addressing the murder of such a high profile defector, which has led to even more suspicion within the statehouse.

Halgan Media Service Desk 

Contact us : info@halganmedia.net