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Press TV
A US-born fighter viewed as a key foreign leader in Somalia's al-Qaeda-allied al-Shabab militant group says he fears for his life and is in danger from fellow al-Shabab fighters, Press TV reports.
In a video posted on the internet on Saturday, Omar Hamami Abu Mansoor al-Amriki said that his life is under threat from fellow extremists due to internal disputes.
“I record this message today because I feel that my life may be endangered by Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahideen due to some differences that occurred between us regarding matters of the sharia (Islamic law) and matters of strategy,” he said in the minute-long video.
However, al-Shabab later denied threatening Amriki and said they were surprised by the video.
“A formal investigation is underway and the Mujahedeen are still attempting to verify the authenticity as well as the motivations behind the video,” the Somali militant group said on its twitter account.
“We assure you that he is not endangered by the Mujahideen and our brother still enjoys all the privileges of the brotherhood,” it added.
Amriki is a US citizen from Alabama. In the past, he has uploaded audio taunting the United States and urging the US military to make him a martyr through a drone attack in Somalia.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years, and is propped up by a 10,000-strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.
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