Son of leading Somaliland politician killed in Syria

[Deeq A.]

A leading Somaliland politician says his son, who joined the Islamic State militant group five years ago, was killed in Syria. Faysal Ali Warabe, leader of the UCID party who ran for president of the self-declared republic during the November 13 election, says his son — Hussein Faysal Ali Warabe — was killed in an airstrike.

Hussein, also known as Abu Shuaib As-Somali, joined the militant group in 2013, along with his wife.

“We learned the news of his death yesterday [Saturday],” Warabe told VOA Somali. “His wife sent a recorded message via WhatsApp saying he was killed on Dec. 29.”

Warabe did not say where son was killed but says his family assumed he had left Raqqa safely. IS was pushed out of its former capital of Raqqa last year.

“There was no fighting in the area he was staying, so it will have been an airstrike that killed him,” he said.

VOA