Addis Ababa (SD) – A religious armed group called the Islamic State Center affiliated with Al-Shabaab, has been stablished in Ethiopia, according the group’s leaders.

Mohamed Rashaad, one of the group’s leaders, told OBN that the group had good relations with Al-Shabaab and ISIS and is sympathetic to their ideology.

The Ethiopian government confirmed the existence of the group adding they have arrested member’s of the group in the past.

“The Islamic State Center in Ethiopia, both legally and ideologically, is affiliated with Al-Shabab and ISIS,” said Mohamed Rashaad.

The group have been reportedly trained by senior members of al-Shabab, according to the Ethiopian government, adding that the group receives financial support from abroad.

The group was established in the Bale region of Oromia, with the aim of taking control of Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government says the group has now started encouraging people not to pay taxes to the government, pitting the government against the people.

Al Shabab has not yet commented on its support for the Islamist group in Ethiopia.