The Somali Government said on Wednesday, May 21 that during counterterrorism operations in the Hiran and Lower Shabelle regions, Somali security forces killed 45 al-Shabaab terrorists, including the group’s foreman who has been responsible for mortar attacks in Mogadishu since 2023.
From Tuesday afternoon to early Wednesday, six airstrikes were conducted in the El-Hareeri area of the Hiran region, killing 45 “Khawarij fighters, including both leaders and militiamen,” according to a statement from the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).
According to Ahmed Mohamud, a regional security official who spoke to Anadolu via phone, the intelligence services attacked a hiding place for the group and its top operatives using unmanned aerial vehicles. Among those killed in the operations was the top leader of al-Shabaab, who has been behind mortar attacks in Mogadishu since 2023, according to NISA. He was slain during a prearranged operation in the Lower Shabelle region, close to Sabib.
Insecurity has long been a problem in Somalia, with the biggest threats coming from the terrorist organizations ISIS (Daesh) and al-Shabaab. For more than 16 years, al-Shabaab has been engaged in combat with the Somali government, regularly attacking military personnel and government officials.