Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), working with international partners, said Sunday that it had killed a senior al-Shabab commander and three other militants in an operation in the Middle Shabelle region.
The agency said another al-Shabab member was wounded during the operation in the Guulane and Al-Furqaan areas.
- Advertisement -
According to NISA, the militants were targeted as they left a meeting in Guulane.
NISA named the slain commander as Omar Siyad Caraaye, who it said oversaw al-Shabab’s clan affairs and relationships with some clans in Middle Shabelle.
Two fighters riding motorcycles used to transport the commanders were also killed, the agency said, along with a bodyguard.
The wounded militant was identified as Abdi Mohamed Nur, whom NISA described as another al-Shabab commander responsible for clan affairs.
The agency said Abdullahi Ali Caraaye and Abdi Daalane, whom it identified as members of the targeted leadership, escaped the operation by a narrow margin.
NISA said the strike formed part of continuing efforts to dismantle al-Shabab’s leadership and networks and reduce the group’s capacity to plan and launch attacks against civilians.
The agency urged members of the public to provide security authorities with information on the activities of al-Shabab and ISIS.
Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, continues to conduct attacks across Somalia despite sustained military operations by Somali forces and international partners.
