Dubai (Sunatimes) Some very reliable sources report that the leader of Alshabab, an insurgent groups allied to Alqaeda, Ahmed Aw Mohamud Godane, aka Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubeyr, had visited Sharjah, UAE, at least two times so far this ending year.

The reclusive leader made unreported trips to United Arab Emirate to visit his wife and children are had been living in UAE since 2008.

The report says that Abu Zubeyr traveled to UAE in March 3, 2010, through Kenya Khat flight and second time was crossed the border as a normal man.

March 3, 2010“He took a flight which brought Khat, green stimulant leafs, to KM50 airport, an air strip controlled by Alshabab which locates 50kms in the south of Mogadishu" 

Abu Zubeyr was confirmed having a Kenyan passport with unidentified name, and he also has a resident permit from UAE which some Somali businessmen facilitated for him to make sure that he can visit his family when needed.

A source close to Alshabab, which is in UAE told us that Abu Zubeyr visited his wive Muna Sheikh Abdirahman (Barawe) who lives with his in Sharjah. And he spent six days with them according to the source which claimed anonymity because of security reasons.

This wife, Muna, who is descent from Shiiqaal-Hawiye clan but her mother is Issa-Musse of Isaq clan got the resident permit from one of the Amirs of UAE who had relationship with her father who was working for the Amir long time, according to the source.

She moved from Hargeysa in October 2008 when Alshabab launched the deadly suicide targeted to the Somaliland presidential palace, the Ethiopian business council in Hargeysa and the UNDP head quarters.

A maid who used to work for the family of Abu Zubeyr in UAE confirmed that She saw Abu Zubeyr in the house but didn’t know that he was the unpopular leader of Alshabab.

“I saw him, I didn’t think that he was Abu Zubeyr, but I was told two months later that the man who was in the house was Abu Zubeyr, but I couldn’t talk about that” she said.

“I couldn’t talk his information to anyone because I was in UAE without resident permit, I didn’t want to be in trouble” she added.

A Somali businessman in UAE who is neighbor to Abu Zubeyr’s family in Sharjah told Sunatimes that he saw Abu Zubeyr and formally knew him because he used to teach him religion in Hargeysa early times.

“I saw him, he was entering the house, but I didn’t know if the house was his own, I was surprised why such this man who is in the international wanted lists to move freely in such place” said the man whose surname is Hamza.

“In 1999 I was one of his students, he was teaching us the book of the prayers, Safina, I have his photo with me, so I can make sure that in November 23, 2010, he was in his house in Sharjah” he added.

Investigative reporters from Waagacusub, a popular Somali portal website who have long been tracking down about Alshabaab leaders’ profile. They have secretly received four pictures, one of them is Ahmed Abdi Godane, Alshabaab leaders’ picture.

To secure the authenticity of the picture, the reporters have discussed with a well-known Somali businessman about his knowledge about Godane by asking if he personally knew Godane. He acknowledge that he know the militant leader well and selected Godane’s picture from our already-held pictures which confirms that Waagacusub has the personal photo of Ahmed Abdi Godane, Alshabaab’s reclusive leader.

Some investigations we made confirmed that Abu Zubeyr crossed the Kenyan border in November 11, 2010 to make his trip to UAE and visited his wife the second times this year.

Abu Zubeyr was the secretary general of the union of Islamic courts regime (UIC) which rules much of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006, but he was hiding himself even as he was in that position.

He was part of UIC delegation that went to Khartoum to participate the peace deal between the transitional government of that time led by then president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed and the UIC regime led by the current president of TFG Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.

He was using a passport with the name Mukhtar Abdi rahman, the same name he is using as his war name now, and in the passport it says that he was born July 10, 1977.

By Dahir Alasow,

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Dahir Alasow, A senior Radio and TV journalist, a leader of a press watchdog ASOJ, the editor of waagacusub.com, and outstanding commentator with fearless check on actions of the political groups and others players through investigative journalism, plus defender of the public interest and voice to the voiceless through "the truthful tip of his truth pen"

"Tribalism provides NO shelter; it ONLY causes destruction." 
"Dugsi Male Qabyaaladi Waxay Dumiso 
Mooyaane" Cabdullaahi Suldaan Timacadde

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