Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somali government forces killed a senior al-Shabaab leader and two other key operatives in separate operations, the defense ministry said Sunday. The raids hit militant strongholds in the Bakool and Bay regions of southern Somalia.
The ministry said the actions are part of an intensified offensive against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group. The operations took place Saturday night. The government is moving to secure territory ahead of a scheduled international troop drawdown.
Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency for more than 16 years. In 2024, the government launched a “total war” backed by international partners.
The offensive runs in parallel with the African Union’s (ATMIS) scheduled drawdown, which aims to transfer security to Somali forces by the end of 2025, according to UN reports.
The military killed Mohamed Abdi Mohamed Nur, known as “Goofoow,” in a precision operation in Abal village, 21 kilometers south of Hudur. Officials described him as a senior leader and “Amir of the Abal base unit,” responsible for attacks on civilians.
A separate operation in Waro Mintaaniya village in the Bay region killed two operatives identified as Yahye (“Abu Khalid”) and Sharif Amir. The ministry said Amir later died from injuries sustained during the engagement.
During the Abal raid, soldiers “seized weapons and documents detailing plots intended to disrupt security,” the statement said. Al-Shabaab, which often disputes government accounts, did not immediately comment.
This campaign is part of a broader escalation that began in late 2024, involving forces from the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
Somalia said last week that 220 precision airstrikes since February have killed 868 militants.
These operations follow other recent high-value killings that the government reported. Late last month, an airstrike in Bu’aale allegedly killed Mohamud Abdi Hamud, or “Jacfar Gurey,” identified as a founding member and the group’s “intelligence chief.”
The ministry said operations will intensify. It vowed that “no safe haven will be allowed for al-Shabaab terrorists or their remnants.” The goal is to continue “until every corner of Somalia is freed from the threat of terrorism,” the statement added.
