Somali forces say senior al-Shabab commander killed in Jamaame raid
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali special forces and regional security units said they killed a senior al-Shabab commander during a planned nighttime operation in the Jamaame district of the Lower Jubba region, as government-aligned troops intensified a weeks-long push to retake areas long held by the militants.
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Jubbaland authorities said Friday that Danab commandos, operating alongside Jubbaland’s Dervish forces, targeted a group of al-Shabab fighters late Thursday and killed a commander identified as Farah Jibriil and seven of his bodyguards.
“This operation, part of ongoing efforts to enhance security in the region, eliminated the most prominent Al-Shabaab leader in the area, Farah Jibriil, and seven others who had long inflicted hardship and oppression on local communities,” the Jubbaland administration said in a statement.
The statement said the forces tracked the militant leader through an extended pursuit before “neutralizing” him. Officials from the Danab and Dervish units pledged that similar raids will continue “until al-Shabab is completely removed from the region,” and said further “planned operations are underway” to target remaining hideouts of what the administration described as “Khawarij militias,” a government term for the extremist group.
The reported strike comes in the third week of coordinated operations by federal and Jubbaland forces around Jamaame, a district in southern Somalia’s Lower Jubba that authorities say has remained under al-Shabab control for years. Security officials have framed the campaign as part of a broader effort to open key corridors, safeguard communities and weaken the insurgents’ ability to stage attacks.
Casualty figures and battlefield claims could not be independently verified, and Somali authorities did not provide photographic evidence or coordinates of the raid. Al-Shabab did not immediately comment on the reports through its affiliated channels.
Danab commandos and Jubbaland’s Dervish forces have led numerous joint operations in southern Somalia in recent months as part of a wider federal push to disrupt al-Shabab’s networks, detach the group from local communities and degrade its leadership. Officials say the tempo of raids is intended to prevent the militants from regrouping, even as they warn that clearing and holding territory requires sustained coordination among federal, state and local security actors.
Authorities did not release additional details about Jibriil’s role within al-Shabab beyond identifying him as a prominent commander in the Jamaame area. The Jubbaland administration said the operation was designed to minimize harm to civilians and reiterated calls for residents to support security forces by sharing information on militant movements.
Somali officials say more operations are planned in and around Jamaame in the coming days as part of an effort to “liberate” the district. They urged the public to remain vigilant as forces continue to target suspected militant positions.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
