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AP
In this photo taken Thursday, June 7, 2012, Mohamed Abdi Abdullahi, left, and Abshir Ali Mohamed, right, both defectors from the Somali militant group al-Shabab who are now fighting with Somali government forces alongside the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force, speak to the media at the AU base in Elasha Biyaha on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. Somali military and government leaders say Mohamed's defection is an example of a trend growing in their favor, with the East African country's most notorious militant group losing manpower and ground. (AP Photo/Jason Straziuso)
Mogadishu, Somalia - Somalia military officials say defections from the militant group al-Shabab are accelerating as Somali and African Union troops take new territory around Mogadishu.
Militants who abandon al-Shabab risk retaliatory assassinations from fighters still loyal to the militia. A government-run program in Mogadishu houses several hundred former fighters, many of them teenagers. The program provides meals, housing and courses on patriotism, anti-violence and religion.
Defector Mohamed Saeed, 18, said militants didn't dare share plans about defecting with even their closest battlefield friends. Trust, he said, could get you killed.
As al-Shabab has lost its profit centers - the markets in Mogadishu the militants once taxed, for example - life on the battlefield became harder. Saeed said fighters often ate only one meal a day. - Sapa-AP
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