Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) announced on Wednesday that the former head of al-Shabaab’s finance department was killed in a planned operation in the Kuunyo Barrow area of the Lower Shabelle region, describing his death as a major blow to the group’s financial resources.
NISA confirmed that the man targeted in the operation was Faysal Yusuf Macallin Abdulle, also known as Abdikarim Horseed or Gaagaale, who previously managed al-Shabaab’s financial affairs and maintained close ties with the group’s senior leaders.
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“The operation took place on October 23 and was carried out by Somali intelligence forces with the support of international security partners,” NISA added.
According to information provided by the agency, Faysal joined al-Shabaab in 2007 while working at a shop in Mogadishu’s Bakaaraha Market.
Between 2007 and 2011, he oversaw the group’s financial operations in the Banaadir region, supervising the collection of extortion payments imposed on businesses and civilians, NISA said.
The agency also noted that he was promoted in 2011 to head of accounts, a position he held until 2014, when he became al-Shabaab’s overall finance chief.
Faysal held that position until 2024, when he handed responsibility for al-Shabaab’s financial administration to Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Osoble, widely known as Abdullahi Wadaad, according to a statement issued by the agency.
NISA noted that Abdullahi Wadaad was also killed in a separate security operation in the Kuunyo Barrow area on January 23, 2026.
The agency described the deaths of the two former leaders of the group’s finance department as a serious setback for al-Shabaab’s leadership and its ability to collect and manage the funds used to finance armed operations.
Meanwhile, NISA provided no further details about the operation on October 23, including the types of weapons used or whether other militants were killed or wounded at the scene.
There are still no independent sources able to verify how Faysal was killed or the exact rank he held within the group.
The intelligence agency reiterated that it would continue targeting al-Shabaab’s senior leaders and other officials responsible for the group’s finances who are involved in funding attacks against civilians and Somalia’s armed forces.
Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with al-Qaida, has long relied on a wide-ranging system of illegal taxation and extortion imposed on communities and cities across Somalia.
The announcement comes as Somalia’s armed forces, backed by international partners, intensify planned operations targeting the group’s leadership, disrupting its sources of funding and restricting its ability to carry out attacks.
