Al Shabaab leader surrenders to Somali government

Leader of Somali militant group Al Shabaab has surrendered to government forces in Baidoa town in southern Somalia, the AU mission confirmed.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) said that Hussein Salad Mukhtar surrendered to the Somali National Army (SNA) on Tuesday following a government amnesty offer for militants to surrender.

"Amisom calls on Al Shabaab fighters to heed the government's amnesty," Amisom said. It called on Al Shabaab militants to lay down their weapons and join the Somali people to rebuild their county.

The Somali government announced the amnesty offer in 2014.