NISA, Allies Eliminate 29 Al-Shabaab Militants in Central Somalia

MOGADISHU – The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), working alongside international allies, has eliminated 29 Al-Shabaab militants, including the organization’s primary explosives expert in Hiiraan, during counterterrorism operations in Middle Shabelle and Hiiraan regions.

According to NISA, 23 militants were neutralized during a raid on a fighter assembly point near Masaajid Cali Gaduud in Middle Shabelle, where intelligence suggested the group was plotting attacks to undermine stability in the area. Intelligence officials previously reported that nearly 90 fighters had assembled in Guulane before a similar intervention, underscoring the scale of militant activity in the Middle Shabelle region. An earlier airstrike in February 2026 also targeted Al-Shabaab militants planting landmines on the road connecting Masaajid Ali Gaduud and Daaru Salaam, killing 15 militants and destroying a vehicle transporting explosives [citation:7].

Second Operation Targets Explosives Commander

In a distinct operation in Buq-aqable, Hiiraan, security personnel eliminated six combatants, including Abdirahman “Abdi Mudallib,” identified by NISA as Al-Shabaab’s regional explosives commander and a principal architect of assaults in Bulo-burde and Jalalaksi. In July 2025, NISA successfully neutralized seven Al-Shabaab militants in the Buulo-Xoog area, located under Buq-Aqabke village in the Hiiraan region, striking a known hideout and disrupting a cell planning attacks against civilian and military targets [citation:1].

NISA has been systematically eliminating top-tier commanders in recent months, including the neutralization of a senior commander responsible for international terror coordination and a suicide bomber division commander [citation:8].

NISA’s Continuous Offensive in Central Regions

These operations reflect continued initiatives by Somali security authorities and their international collaborators to diminish Al-Shabaab’s effectiveness and enhance security conditions across central Somalia. NISA announced the successful elimination of over 23 Al-Shabaab militants following a series of synchronized, intelligence-driven operations across central Somalia in February 2026, with preemptive strikes destroying major militant strongholds and thwarting several imminent attacks. These highly coordinated operations specifically targeted armed elements gathering in the Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions, areas identified as vital logistical pathways used by insurgents to transport fighters and explosives [citation:6].

In May 2026, NISA executed an intelligence-driven operation in the Tardo area of the Hiiraan region, resulting in the deaths of five Al-Shabaab militants and the destruction of hideouts and logistical facilities. The operation was preceded by intelligence reports indicating approximately 25 militants, including both fighters and senior operatives, had assembled in the area to organize attacks [citation:4].

High-Level NISA Leadership Visits Frontline

Former NISA Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbaloolshe previously visited Moqokori town in the Hiiraan region to boost the morale of Somali National Army troops stationed on the frontline, following a major military success near Aadan Yabaal where Somali forces, supported by intelligence coordination, killed over 70 Al-Shabaab fighters, including several key commanders [citation:3].

Strategic Significance of Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle

The Hiiraan region has served as a significant battleground in Somalia’s military campaign against Al-Shabaab, with government forces and allied clan militias carrying out sustained offensives against the militant group over the past two years. The federal government has enhanced intelligence-led operations in central and southern regions as part of a comprehensive strategy combining military offensives, local community mobilization, and efforts to disrupt the group’s financial and logistical networks.

NISA has accompanied its operation reports with fresh appeals to the public, urging citizens to use designated hotlines to report movements of both Al-Shabaab and the smaller Islamic State presence in the country. The Somali government, which has been engaged in a “total war” against the Islamist group since 2022, frequently conducts such operations alongside foreign allies, typically involving US drone strikes or Turkish air support, to blunt Al-Shabaab’s ability to strike the capital, Mogadishu.