MAHAAS, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said that it had killed three senior Al-Shabaab commanders and seriously wounded another in a planned operation in Maxaas district in the central Hiiraan region.
The operation, conducted on August 12 with support from international partners, targeted a house where senior members of the militant group were staying, NISA said in a statement.
Among those wounded was senior Al-Shabaab commander Mustaf Aato, whom NISA identified as the overall head of the group’s so-called Hiiraan regional front. The agency said he sustained serious injuries during the operation and was subsequently taken from Maxaas to El Buur for medical treatment.
NISA accused Mustaf Aato of playing a longstanding role in planning and coordinating Al-Shabaab attacks. The agency also said he had previously overseen the group’s explosives and suicide bombing operations, making him a high-priority target for Somali security forces.
The three commanders killed in the operation were identified by NISA as Abdi Hafid, who was involved in the group’s explosives unit; Daalibaan, a commander responsible for reinforcements in Hiiraan; and Omar Hussein, who led a section of Al-Shabaab’s so-called regional fronts.
NISA said two other commanders, Mohamed Eeney and Salaad Buur, were also seriously wounded during the operation. The agency did not provide details on the extent of their injuries or whether they remained in the area.
The intelligence agency said Mustaf Aato had been among its priority targets because of his leadership role in organising Al-Shabaab operations and combat activities in Hiiraan.
NISA said the latest operation formed part of broader efforts by Somali security forces and their international partners to weaken Al-Shabaab’s command structure and operational networks by targeting senior leaders.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government for more than a decade, remains capable of carrying out deadly attacks despite sustained military operations against its positions in central and southern Somalia.
Hiiraan has been a major theatre of military operations against the group, with Somali government forces and local clan militias seeking to regain territory and disrupt Al-Shabaab’s networks.
The government has repeatedly said eliminating senior commanders is central to weakening the group’s ability to plan attacks, mobilise fighters and maintain control over rural areas.
NISA did not specify which international partners supported the August 12 operation or whether additional militants were killed or captured. Independent confirmation of the agency’s claims was not immediately available.
