MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 9, 2015 (Garowe Online)-Federal Government of Somalia has placed over a million USD bounty on the heads of top Al Shabaab officials on Thursday, Garowe Online reports.

During a weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, the council of ministers initially debated a new reward for anybody who gives a tip-off to intelligence services.

Among the 11 most wanted terror officials is new Al Shabaab Chief Ahmed Dirie (Abu Ubayda) on whom the government placed USD 250,000 bounty.

Amounts ranging from 150,000 to 100,000 were also announced for the heads of Deputy Al Shabaab leader Mahad Warsame Qalay (Mahad Karate) and 9 others including the commander of Al Shabaab militants in Galgala Yasin Osman (Kilwe) and Garrisa university attack mastermind Mohamed Mohamud (Dulyadayn-Kunno) respectively.

Meanwhile, cabinet meeting touched on the closure by Kenyan government of Somali remittance companies, and assets freeze imposed on figures suspected to be funding Al Shabaab activities.

Somalia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdisalam Omar Hadli is said in a press statement to have started holding talks with Kenyan officials about the new decision to cease the operations of remittance firms. 

GAROWE ONLINE