MOGADISHU (SONNA) — The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has confirmed the neutralization of a senior Al-Shabaab operative responsible for the group’s financial extortion network in the Banadir region. The operation, conducted by the elite Gaashaan special forces, took place in the Daniga Baaloow area of Lower Shabelle on January 27.
The operative was identified as Ahmed Dhubad Xidig, also known by the alias “Sheikh Aadan Dheere”. According to the agency’s official statement released on Thursday, Xidig was killed during a planned raid on a safe house where he had been concealing his movements. Intelligence units had been tracking the target for an extended period prior to the strike. When Gaashaan forces encircled the location, the operative attempted to engage the unit in armed combat and was fatally shot during the exchange.
Security officials describe Xidig as a veteran member of the extremist group, having joined its ranks in 2008. His dossier reveals a long history of managing the group’s illicit revenue streams, primarily through extortion and the theft of public property. Before his assignment to manage financial operations for the Banadir region, he had served as the group’s finance representative in the Mudug, Galgaduud, Hiiraan, and Lower Shabelle regions.
The elimination of the Banadir finance chief represents a tactical blow to the group’s ability to generate and move funds within the capital and its outskirts. NISA concluded its statement by encouraging citizens to report any security threats or information regarding Al-Shabaab or Daesh activities to the agency’s dedicated hotlines.
