Somalia names former al Shabaab spokesperson as minister

Somalia's prime minister has named former al Shabaab group co-founder and spokesperson Muktar Robow as a minister in the country's new cabinet, a move that could either help strengthen the fight against the insurgency or provoke clan clashes.

Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said in televised remarks that Robow, who once had a $5 million U.S. bounty on his head before he split from al Shabaab in 2015, would serve as the minister in charge of religion.