Senior Al-Shabaab militant leader arrested

A senior commander of the Al-Shabaab militant group has been detained near the Kenya-Somalia border, Somali security agencies said Saturday.

Officials said Zakariya Ismail Hersi was arrested after a tip off from the members of the public, Xinhua reported.

Hersi who is on a US wanted list, is believed to be a close aide of former Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a US drone strike in September this year.

In June 2012, the US put a reward of over $3 million for the capture of Hersi, describing him as an important figure in the ranks of the Al Qaeda-linked Somali militant group.

His detention came merely a week after a UN Security Council (UNSC) committee dealing with Somalia, Dec 19, removed former Al-Shabaab leader Sheikh Mohamed Said Atom from its sanctions list, six months after he defected from the group.

Security analysts said that Hersi's arrest was a big blow to the group's campaign to overthrow the internationally backed federal government of Somalia.