Somali intelligence agency seizes explosive chemicals bound for al-Shabab
“This desperate concealment tactic was deployed immediately after the militants realized that national security agencies had compromised their supply routes and were actively closing in on their position,” NISA said.
Friday June 12, 2026
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Thursday that it had intercepted a major haul of explosive chemical materials allegedly destined for al-Shabab during an operation in Lower Shabelle region.
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NISA said security forces uncovered more than 100 yellow jerrycans packed with volatile chemical precursors that had been buried in the Jilib Marka area.
The agency said al-Shabab operatives concealed the materials after realizing that security forces had identified their supply routes and were moving in on them.
“This desperate concealment tactic was deployed immediately after the militants realized that national security agencies had compromised their supply routes and were actively closing in on their position,” NISA said.
According to the agency, the seizure came after a prolonged surveillance and tracking effort designed to stop the materials before they could be turned into weapons for attacks on civilians or state infrastructure.
NISA said photographs from the operation showed armed security personnel standing guard over the excavated containers at the site.
The agency described the recovery as a significant blow to al-Shabab’s logistics network in Lower Shabelle, a strategically important region that lies close to Mogadishu and plays a central role in trade and agriculture.
Al-Shabab has long relied on improvised explosive devices, suicide bombings and roadside blasts in its attacks on Somali security forces, government officials and civilians.
Somali security agencies have intensified operations in Lower Shabelle and other parts of the country as part of a wider push to disrupt the group’s military and financial networks.
