Somalia says senior al-Shabaab figures killed in Hiiraan raid
Mogadishu — Somalia’s intelligence service says it has killed several senior al-Shabaab figures in a planned operation in the country’s center, striking what officials described as a militant stronghold in the Hiiraan region. The operation, carried out by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) with support from international partners, took place in the Shaw area, long considered a rear base and staging ground for the al-Qaeda-linked group.
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What happened
In a statement Thursday, NISA said it killed multiple commanders in the raid, including the group’s Amniyat chief for Hirshabelle state, identified as Abdullahi Hassan Omar, a finance official known as Osaam, and field commanders referred to as Qudaame Dheere and Abdul Ladhiif. The agency said roughly 10 other militants were also killed. It described the action as “successful,” emphasizing that its teams struck deep inside a zone where al-Shabaab has maintained influence despite years of pressure.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the casualty figures, and al-Shabaab has not publicly commented. Access to Shaw is difficult and communications from frontline areas can be unreliable. The brief NISA statement offered no details on the involvement of foreign partners or whether air power was used.
Who was targeted
- Abdullahi Hassan Omar: Identified by NISA as the Amniyat leader in Hirshabelle. The Amniyat is al-Shabaab’s feared internal security and intelligence arm, responsible for surveillance, assassinations, and enforcing loyalty within the ranks.
- “Osaam”: Described as a finance officer. Al-Shabaab’s revenue network—built on taxation, extortion, and fees on trade routes—has long underpinned its resilience. U.N. experts have estimated the insurgency’s annual income at well over $100 million.
- Qudaame Dheere and Abdul Ladhiif: Named by NISA as field commanders. Such mid-level leaders often play critical roles in coordinating raids, roadside bombings, and logistics.
NISA said the strike aimed to disrupt both the group’s security apparatus and its financial pipeline, two pillars that allow al-Shabaab to project power even as it cedes ground in some areas.
Why it matters
Targeted killings of insurgent leaders can sow distrust, force rapid reshuffles, and interrupt planned attacks. Somalia’s federal government has escalated these kinds of operations since 2022, combining ground offensives with intelligence-led raids, drone surveillance, and local militia mobilization, particularly the Macawisley community fighters in central regions. The goal is to break the cycle in which al-Shabaab loses territory to government forces only to regroup and tax traders, truckers, and farmers in the hinterlands.
But leadership decapitation is rarely decisive on its own. Al-Shabaab, which pledges allegiance to al-Qaeda, has demonstrated an ability to regenerate, tapping tight-knit networks and clan dynamics to recruit and reorganize. Its Amniyat arm—now reportedly hit in Hirshabelle—has traditionally enforced internal discipline and deterred defections. If Thursday’s strike did remove a key Amniyat figure, it could create a temporary opening for chiefs and sub-commanders who wish to exit or cut deals. The question is whether the government can move fast enough to consolidate any gains and provide security and services to communities historically left to fend for themselves.
The Shaw area and the central front
The Shaw area in Hiiraan has been an important node for insurgent logistics in central Somalia, connecting movements across rural corridors into Hirshabelle and neighboring Galmudug. In recent months, local elders in the region have recounted the whiplash of war: a government surge takes a town, a temporary calm returns, markets and roads reopen—then an explosion or night raid sends people fleeing again.
“The trade route is our lifeline,” one trader from a Hiiraan market told me earlier this year by phone, asking not to be named for security reasons. “When they [al-Shabaab] tax every truck, we all pay—drivers, shopkeepers, the customer buying sugar. When the army comes, we pay again with fear.” His words capture the daily arithmetic for civilians caught between a predatory insurgency and a state still struggling to reach the periphery.
Internationally backed operations like the one NISA announced Thursday are part of a broader strategy that blends intelligence-sharing, training, and occasional precision strikes. Since 2022, the African Union’s mission (ATMIS) has been drawing down troops with the aim of handing full security responsibility to Somali forces. That transition adds urgency: Somali units and local allies will need to hold ground and protect roads without constant external backup.
A wider pattern—and its limits
Globally, insurgent movements from Yemen to the Sahel have weathered leadership losses and air campaigns, often dispersing into smaller cells or leaning more heavily on organized crime to compensate for battlefield setbacks. Somalia is no different. Analysts caution that while knocking out a finance manager or an Amniyat chief can slow attacks and disrupt extortion rackets, the structural incentives that sustain al-Shabaab—weak local governance, unemployment, and the reliable income from taxing trade—remain stubborn.
Thursday’s announcement lands as authorities court local buy-in across central Somalia. In Hiiraan and Galgaduud, clan elders and district officials have tried to expand “community defense” models, sometimes with mixed results. Without better pay and supply for government units, and without consistent justice for communities traumatized by both insurgent violence and heavy-handed security responses, those initiatives risk unravelling. The state’s challenge is to translate tactical wins into visible change: safer markets, predictable taxes, and roads free from improvised explosive devices.
What to watch next
- Verification: Independent confirmation of the names and numbers announced by NISA will be key. Al-Shabaab may issue its own account in the coming days.
- Retaliation: The group has a record of responding to high-profile losses with bombings in urban centers or attacks on government and military targets.
- Follow-through: Whether government forces move to hold the Shaw area and secure surrounding routes will indicate if this was a quick strike or the start of a sustained push.
- Community impact: Disrupting an alleged finance node could shift how and where the insurgency collects money. Traders and transporters will feel changes first.
NISA’s message is clear: Somalia’s intelligence services want to show they can reach into the heart of al-Shabaab’s territory and remove key figures. For families in Hiiraan who count safety by the week, the more immediate hope is simpler—that trucks keep moving, markets stay open, and the nights pass quietly.
This is a developing story. We will update as more information becomes available.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
