NISA Kills Senior Al-Shabaab Finance Chief in Lower Shabelle Operation

MOGADISHU, (SONNA) – Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), in cooperation with international partners, has killed senior Al-Shabaab operative Faisal Yusuf Moallin Abdulle in a planned operation conducted on October 23 in Kuunyo Barrow, Lower Shabelle region, according to a statement released on Wednesday.

The operative, also known by the aliases Abdikarim Horseed and Gaagaale, previously served as the group’s overall finance chief and was reportedly among those working closely with its senior leadership.

According to NISA, Faisal secretly joined Al-Shabaab in 2007 while working at a shop in Mogadishu’s Bakara Market, which served as a cover for his activities.

Between 2007 and 2011, he headed the group’s so-called finance office in the Banaadir region, overseeing the collection of extortion payments from civilians. From 2011 to 2014, he served as the group’s chief accountant.

Between 2014 and 2024, Faisal held the position of overall finance chief before handing over the role to Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, also known as Abdullahi Wadaad. NISA said Cosoble was killed in an operation conducted on January 23, 2026, in the same area of Kuunyo Barrow.

The deaths of the two successive finance chiefs represent a blow to Al-Shabaab’s leadership and financial networks, according to the agency.

NISA said it would continue operations targeting senior Al-Shabaab figures and dismantling networks involved in collecting extortion payments used to finance attacks against Somali civilians.

The agency urged the public to report security threats or information related to Al-Shabaab and ISIS through its hotlines: 199, 0770 747474 and 0620 545454.