Mogadishu (Alshahid) – Somalia’s al-Qaeda sponsored alshabab’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Mukhtar Abdurahman Abu Zubeyr (AKA Ahmed Abdi Aw Mohamed Godane) has traveled twice, via Kenya to the UAE to visit his wife and family in Sharjah, Sunatimes reported.

The reclusive leader made unreported trips to United Arab Emirate to visit his wife and children who have been living in UAE since 2008.

The report says that Abu Zubeyr traveled to UAE in March 3, 2010, through Kenya aboard a Khat flight and second time he crossed the border as an ordinary immigrant.

March 3, 2010″He took a flight which brought Khat, green stimulant leafs, to KM50 airport, an air strip controlled by Alshabab which is located 50kms in the south of Mogadishu”

Abu Zubeyr was confirmed as having a Kenyan passport with an unidentified name, and he also has a resident permit from UAE which some Somali businessmen facilitated for him to make sure that he can visit his family when needed.

A source in UAE close to Alshabab, revealed that Abu Zubeyr visited his wife Hibo Sheikh Abdirahman (Barawe) who lives in Sharjah. And he spent six days with them according to the source which claimed anonymity because of security reasons.

This wife, Hibo, who is descent from Shiiqaal-Hawiye clan but her mother is Issa-Musse of Isaq clan got the resident permit from one of the Amirs of UAE who had a relationship with her father who was working for the Amir long time ago, according to the source.

She moved from Hargeysa in October 2008 when Alshabab launched the deadly suicide targeted to the Somaliland presidential palace, the Ethiopian business council in Hargeysa and the UNDP head quarters. (Additional reporting THREAT MATRIX)