Locals said militants are selling their 4x4 luxury SUVs and smaller vehicles through an auction negotiated by brokers.
“I bought one four wheel drive vehicle for only US$1,000. It is very cheap to anyone who has money,” Mursal Isaq Ahmed, a local businessman told Somalia Report.
“There are brokers coming in the market to sell the cars on behalf of al-Shabaab. Land Cruisers and other four wheel drives are going for $1,000 - $1,200, but smaller cars are less than $1,000," he added.
However, other traders said that it was simply not possible to buy a 4x4 for this price, with the going rate at least $2,500.
Locals reported that the senior al-Shabaab officials are escaping Mogadishu and heading towards Lower Juba regions in southern Somalia, including Kismayo. Somalia Report would suggest that perhaps the recent drone stikes on convoys in Yemen, Pakistan and Afghanistan have convinced al Shabaab to downsize their rides. Caveat emptor to the new owners who may hear a whooshing sound as they drive home to show off their new vehicles.
Meanwhile, as the militants fled, the government vowed to keep up operations to eradicate the Islamic insurgents from the capital.