http://sabahionline.com/en_GB/articles/ ... feature-01After rival al-Shabaab forces squared off in a deadly battle last week in the Lower Shabelle town of Barawe, residents of militant-controlled areas say al-Shabaab's feuding factions are preparing for more open warfare.
Forces loyal to top al-Shabaab commander Ahmed Abdi Godane, also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubayr, and second-in-command Ibrahim al-Afghani faced off beginning late night on June 19th, Barawe residents told Sabahi.
The clashes killed five militants and injured four civilians, according to 62-year-old Barawe resident Garaad Yusuf, who spoke to hospital officials.
"We are in a state of fear ... because the two warring forces are still in the city without considering the poor civilians who cannot escape," Yusuf told Sabahi.
The battle marked the first clash between rival factions of the Somali militant group since its insurgency began in 2006, according to BBC News.
"The battle began at night and it was difficult for us to go outside to investigate. It was a heavy fighting in which various types of weapons were used," said Barawe elder Hussein Guled, 53. "I did not think al-Shabaab forces were fighting amongst themselves, but I learnt about it later after I looked through the window of my house."
"Bullets entered our home, terrorising our children who were shouting and crying uncontrollably," he told Sabahi. "If someone got injured, the situation would have been much worse, but thanks to God, much of damage remained among them."
On the night on June 22nd, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, founder of Hizbul Islam and a former Godane ally, fled the escalating situation in Barawe on a boat accompanied by a few of his loyalists, reported Somalimemo, a website that supports al-Shabaab.
Mohamed Jimale, a 32-year-old father of three, said he plans to leave Barawe with his family because he expects war at any time.
"Given how much fighting has taken place so far, I do not think they will stop because they have not spared any weaponry," he told Sabahi. "Using all of the weapons they possess against each other highlights the extent of the enmity that has developed between different factions of al-Shabaab."
Escalating tensions, al-Shabaab infighting spreads
Barawe residents long expected clashes between al-Shabaab fighters because law and order in the town had deteriorated to the point where militants from rival factions would argue and point their AK-47s at one another regularly, said 32-year-old Liban Isse, who sells general merchandise at the local market.
"I knew this kind of fighting would happen because militants in the group had lost respect for one another and citizens always thought they would eventually fight each other in Barawe," he told Sabahi.
The fighting brought to a boil tensions within al-Shabaab that have escalated in recent months. The fissures have created factions headed by Godane, al-Afghani and militant leaders critical of Godane's leadership, such as American-born jihadist Omar Hammami, better known as Abu Mansour al-Amriki.
Recent public infighting began April 6th when al-Afghani, one of al-Shabaab's founders, ripped into Godane's leadership in a 15-page open letter to al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri. Two weeks later, al-Zubayr al-Muhajir, a high-ranking leader close to al-Shabaab's corps of foreign fighters, penned another long letter highly critical of Godane.
On May 18th, al-Shabaab's pro-Godane wing released its own open letter via Twitter, branding dissenters among the group's senior leadership as "cowards".
Signs of imminent intra-faction warfare between forces loyal to Godane and al-Afghani have also been visible in Hudur, said resident Kadra Salad, 34.
"There are many al-Shabaab fighters coming into the city, each supporting either of the two leaders Ahmed Godane and Ibrahim Afghani," she told Sabahi. "We heard that they are digging battle trenches outside of the city and we have packed our belongings so we can flee if war erupts."
Bulo Burde resident Sadaq Weheliye, 55, said residents in his town are also tense with the expectation of future battles.
"Since fighting erupted in Barawe, heavily armed forces loyal to the two opposing al-Shabaab leaders Ahmed Godane and Ibrahim al-Afghani have been arriving in Bulo Burde with weaponised vehicles," he told Sabahi. "Residents of the town are afraid since it is apparent this is a state of war."
... it would have been better if they took their fued somewhere badiyo where hardly anyone lives
