Story highlights Al-Shabaab has carried out terror attacks throughout Somalia

Mukhtar Robow was one of its founders and spiritual leaders

Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN) Former Al-Shabaab deputy leader and spokesman Mukhtar Robow Ali surrendered to Somali authorities on Sunday, according to a state official.

Robow, a co-founder of the Somali terrorist group, turned himself over to authorities in the town of Hudur, 400 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, said Hassan Hussein Mohamed, minister of internal security for south west state.

Robow, also called "Abu Mansur," left Al-Shabaab in 2013 after falling out with its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed a year later, in September 2014, in a US drone strike.

According to the US Department of State, Robow, born in 1969, had served as an al-Shabaab spokesperson and also served as the group's spiritual leader.

Robow and his loyalists had been battling Al-Shabaab militants in his hometown of Abal after initiating talks with the Somali government for his surrender.

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