Somalia Confirms Killing of Senior Al-Shabaab Intelligence Chief in Jilib Operation

Mogadishu, (SONNA) — The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of the Federal Government of Somalia, H.E. Abdifatah Kasim Mohamud, has provided details of a joint operation that killed Abdullah Haji Hirsi Labajir, also known as Ikhlaas, the overall intelligence chief of Al-Shabaab, in Jilib District, Middle Juba Region.

Speaking at a press conference, the Minister said the planned operation was conducted on August 23 by Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in cooperation with international partners, targeting senior Al-Shabaab leaders and their fighters who had been under sustained surveillance by the security forces.

According to the Minister, Ikhlaas, 46, was born in Dhusamareb and joined Al-Shabaab in 2006. He held several senior intelligence positions within the group, including overseeing its intelligence operations in Mudug and Galgaduud regions between 2009 and 2011 and serving as its intelligence chief in Banadir Region from 2011 to 2012.

The Minister said Ikhlaas later headed the group’s overall intelligence operations for about a decade, playing a significant role in intelligence gathering and coordination. He added that information gathered on the militant leader indicated that abuses and punishment were carried out against civilians held in Al-Shabaab detention facilities during periods when he was responsible for the group’s prisons.

Minister Abdifatah said recent joint operations by NISA and international partners have targeted senior Al-Shabaab figures responsible for intelligence, explosives, taxation and the administration of areas under the group’s control.

He listed several senior Al-Shabaab figures recently killed in operations, including Sa’id Xuuriye, Hamza Bakool and Osman, who were killed in a planned operation in Tardo, Hiiraan Region. Other senior figures, including Abdi Hafid, Taalibaan and Omar Hussein, were killed in an operation in Maxaas, while Mustafa Caato, the group’s senior commander responsible for its so-called Jabhadaha in Hiiraan, sustained serious injuries.

The Minister also said Ahmed Ali Jimcaale, a senior Al-Shabaab figure appointed to oversee Jowhar, and Geedi Mohamed Nur Adde, who operated in the Dumaaye and Dabagaallo areas, were killed in an operation in Warciise, Middle Shabelle Region.

In another operation in Basra on July 5, the Somali security forces killed Ahmed Caalami Daqare, a senior Al-Shabaab figure responsible for mortar attacks, the Minister said.

The Minister concluded that the Somali National Armed Forces are currently conducting operations along areas surrounding the river to clear Al-Shabaab militants who occasionally infiltrate the communities in the area.