A senior Al-Shabaab militant commander in Somalia have surrendered to authorites.
Sheik Mohamed Said Atom Saturday gave himself up to authorities, saying he will not take part in violence in the country, Xinhua reported.
The militant commander has been active in the northeastern state of Puntland where his militias operated in the mountain region of Galgala for the past several years.
In a statement, the defecting Islamist commander said that he left the group because he could not "tolerate the misleading of Al- Shabaab and its leader."