Mogadsihu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s intelligence service says its elite Gaashaan commandos have killed an Al-Shabaab bomb maker during a night-time raid in Lower Shabelle region, as separate army operations in central Galgaduud targeted another senior commander blamed for attacks across three regions.
Officials say the twin raids aim to weaken the group’s bombing network in southern and central Somalia.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said in a statement that Gaashaan special forces mounted a planned operation late on Monday in the Cumar Beere area of Lower Shabelle.
The raid targeted a man it identified as Hassan Siidow Hussein. NISA described him as the coordinator behind roadside bombs that have maimed civilians and destroyed vehicles on key routes in the region.
Gaashaan troops tracked the suspect for weeks, according to the agency. They then moved in and killed him along with three of his guards. Officials describe the latest operation as part of a wider push to break up bomb networks.
There was no immediate independent verification of the casualties.
Coordinated night raids
In a separate statement on Monday, the Ministry of Defence said Somali National Army units and local community fighters carried out a joint raid in Cali Heele. The area lies about 30 kilometres west of Masagawaay town in Galgaduud region.
That operation, described as “carefully planned”, killed a senior Al-Shabaab commander named Ahmed Sheikh Omar Adow, known as Gacal, the ministry said. He served as the group’s field leader for insurgent fronts in Middle Shabelle.
Officials say he also helped coordinate militant activity and roadside bombs in Middle Shabelle, Hiiraan, and Galgaduud.
The ministry praised what it called the courage and sacrifice of federal and local forces. It vowed that offensive operations against Al-Shabaab would continue “until the remnants of the enemy of the Somali people are eliminated”.
The government routinely refers to the group as “Khawaarij”, a religiously loaded term it uses to challenge Al-Shabaab’s claim to Islamic authority.
NISA’s Gaashaan unit is one of several elite forces built up over the past decade with foreign training and support. Its main task is to hunt high-value militant targets.
Analysts say such raids seek to decapitate Al-Shabaab cells that specialise in bomb-making, logistics, and finance. Yet the group still carries out deadly attacks in Mogadishu and outlying regions.
Background to the war
Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-aligned group, has fought to topple Somalia’s federal government since 2007. It still controls or contests swathes of rural territory, particularly in central and southern regions.
Despite years of African Union peacekeeping missions and US air support, the group remains one of the most resilient jihadist organisations in Africa.
In 2022, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government launched a new offensive that combined Somali troops, local clan militias, and international backing.
The campaign scored early gains in parts of Hirshabelle and Galmudug states. However, independent researchers and diplomats say the push has struggled to maintain momentum. Al-Shabaab has mounted counterattacks and retaken some rural areas over the past year.
Security experts note that targeted killings of mid-and high-level commanders can disrupt specific operations, especially bomb plots. They say such strikes rarely end an insurgency on their own.
Al-Shabaab has repeatedly replaced fallen leaders and adapted its attack patterns, shifting between large raids on army bases and smaller bombings in cities.
NISA and the Somali army argue that sustained pressure is starting to erode the group’s capacity. They point to commando raids, air strikes, and ground advances in several regions.
Recent government communiqués highlight intelligence-led operations in Middle Shabelle and Lower Shabelle that, according to officials, have killed dozens of militants and disrupted bomb factories.
Independent confirmation is often difficult, as many of the affected areas remain hard to reach for journalists and aid agencies.
Elite units and foreign backing
The Gaashaan unit, under NISA, and the Danab Brigade, an elite Somali National Army commando force, have both received extensive training and mentoring from US and other foreign militaries.
Danab often spearheads counterterrorism raids and efforts to retake territory from Al-Shabaab. Gaashaan focuses primarily on high-value, intelligence-driven missions in and around the capital and nearby regions.
Foreign partners say these elite units are central to any long-term effort to weaken Al-Shabaab. At the same time, they warn that battlefield gains must be matched by more accountable local administration in newly recovered areas.
Previous offensives have faltered when government forces moved on. In those vacuums, militants have slipped back or resumed extortion of local communities.
For now, the Somali government presents the Cumar Beere and Cali Heele raids as proof that it can still strike the group’s command structure despite setbacks in some central districts.
Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on the latest claims. Authorities have released no details of any civilian casualties, and residents in the affected areas could not immediately be reached for confirmation.
