EXTRA: Co-founder of al-Shabab donates blood to victims of bomb attack

Mukhtar Robow, one of the founders of the al-Shabab militant group, has donated blood to survivors of the truck bombing in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia.

At least 276 people were killed, while 300 got injured in one of the deadliest attacks to hit the conflict-torn nation.

Residents of Somali capital, while wearily accustomed to regular bombs and attacks by militants, have been left stunned by the monster explosion of Saturday.

In a tweet on Monday, Robow was seen trying to save some survivors by giving out his blood.

He rose in al-Shabab’s ranks to become its official spokesman and a deputy leader. He, however, fell out with the al-Qaeda-linked group’s leadership in 2013 and remained a fugitive in the remote areas of south-western Somalia until his surrender.

In June, the US State Department withdrew Robow from its terror list and lifted the $5m reward for information leading to his capture.

On 13 August 2017, he turned himself over to authorities in Hudur, according to Hassan Mohamed, minister of internal security for the country, and was subsequently flown to Mogadishu.

Two days later, he held a major press conference in Mogadishu, denouncing al-Shabaab and reiterating he had left the group in 2012.

He also announced his defection to the Somali government.