MOGADISHU, Somalia – A local militia leader who has been monitoring attacks on al-Qaeda’s affiliated group; Al-Shabaab was attacked and killed by militants in the latest setback in the fight against violent extremism in Somalia, a country that has struggled with instability for decades.
Hussein Fidow, a leader of anti-Alshabaab militias known as Ma’awisley, was attacked and killed on Sunday night on the outskirts of Beledweyne in central Somalia, which has been the base for Djibouti’s forces under AMISOM.
Officials said more than 20 Al-Shabaab militants raided his house before firing on him several times. The militants, officials added, fled to the nearby bushes, and security forces have since launched a manhunt for them in several villages in the city.
Usually, organized militias play an important role in driving al-Shabaab out of their strongholds in Somalia, and a number of them are recognized by the security forces.
However, the militias have often collided with Al-Shabaab, thus turning them into marked units of the team. In a number of cases, militia groups sometimes collide with government forces in their attempts to push for a share in subsequent administrations.
His death comes at a time when Al-Shabaab is losing ground in key Somali cities, with a number of top commanders losing their lives in the process. The Somali National Army, the US African Command and the AMISOM troops have coordinated raids against the militants.
Over the weekend, officials said an operation was being carried out by the southwestern regional forces and the Somali National Army. [SNA] left Ibrahim Moalim Abdi alias Ibrahim Ganey dead and ended several years of searching. The militant had been under surveillance for several years now, according to security forces.
Another militant, whose identity has not yet been established, escaped from the scene, and security officers pursue him in the nearby scrub. In the operation between Bardale and Awdinle, several sophisticated weapons were also seized and have since been handed over to experts for ballistic tests.
Moalim has coordinated al-Shabaab operations in the southwestern United States and is believed to be the force behind attacks targeting security forces and civilians in the region. Records from the Ethiopian National Defense Forces [ENDF] shows that he has coordinated ambushes at military bases.
His death, officials said, is important in the fight against al-Shabaab militants who still control large parts of southern and central Somalia in the countryside. It is not clear if he was among those targeted by the U.S. Africa Command, which is known for targeting the militants and their leaders.
This also comes just under two weeks after security forces confirmed the assassination of Abdikadir Commandos, a senior Al-Shabaab operator in Lower Shebelle, who was killed in a US-coordinated air strike in southern Somalia. The U.S. military announced his death about two weeks after his death.
The United States is currently conducting operations targeting Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups across Africa, but emphasis has been placed on Somalia due to the growing influence of Al-Shabaab and ISIS teams with reports showing that they are heavily funded by outsiders.
AXADLETM
