Somali intelligence forces kill 12 al‑Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said Wednesday it killed at least 12 al-Shabaab militants, including a senior figure, during a raid in the Jambaluul area of Afgooye district in the country’s Lower Shabelle region.

• NISA says the operation struck militant hideouts and bomb-making sites in Jambaluul.
• The agency reports a senior al-Shabaab leader was among the dead, but did not name the individual.
• Mortar fire into civilian areas injured civilians and two NISA soldiers, according to the agency.
• Casualty figures could not be independently verified.

In a statement, NISA said its forces engaged the militants in a face-to-face confrontation after targeting locations where fighters were preparing explosives. The agency did not specify the time of the raid or provide details on the alleged senior leader killed.

NISA said al-Shabaab fired mortars into civilian areas during the clash, wounding an unspecified number of civilians as well as two NISA personnel. The agency did not release a civilian casualty toll or elaborate on the extent of the injuries.

“The Somali government deeply regrets the harm suffered by civilians in the deadly attack by the Khawarij, and is intensifying operations to eradicate the terrorist threat to lives, property, and the Somali state,” the NISA statement said. Somali officials frequently use the term “Khawarij” to refer to al-Shabaab.

The agency added that security forces would continue operations to prevent al-Shabaab from harming civilians. Independent confirmation of the death toll and battlefield claims was not immediately available, and al-Shabaab did not issue an immediate response.

Jambaluul lies within Afgooye district, a strategic corridor roughly 30 kilometers (18 miles) west of Mogadishu that has long been contested. Lower Shabelle, a fertile region south of the capital, has seen frequent clashes as government forces seek to dislodge al-Shabaab from strongholds and disrupt the group’s capacity to mount attacks, including mortar and improvised explosive device strikes.

Al-Shabaab, which is allied with al-Qaida, has waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2007, targeting government institutions, security forces, and civilians in an effort to destabilize the state. The group retains the ability to stage high-profile assaults even as Somali authorities press offensives across south-central regions.

Wednesday’s announcement underscores the fluid battlefield around Mogadishu’s western approaches and the continued risk to civilians from indirect fire and urban combat. NISA’s pledge to intensify operations suggests further raids in areas where the group is believed to store weapons, assemble explosives, and stage attacks.

Details about the duration of the operation, any arrests, and the condition of wounded civilians were not immediately available. Humanitarian agencies often urge all parties to take precautions to minimize harm to noncombatants, particularly in densely populated areas vulnerable to mortar and artillery fire.

Somalia’s security forces have urged residents in contested districts to report suspicious activity around suspected hideouts or explosive-making sites as authorities seek to preempt attacks. Officials say sweeping operations will continue in Lower Shabelle and other regions as part of a broader campaign to degrade al-Shabaab’s leadership, logistics, and revenue streams.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.