MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s elite Gaashaan unit under the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) carried out a planned overnight raid in the Omar Beere area of Lower Shabelle, killing a senior Al-Shabaab operative responsible for orchestrating roadside bomb attacks in the region, the spy agency said on Tuesday.
The operation targeted Hassan Siidow Hussein, a key Al-Shabaab figure described by security officials as the mastermind behind improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used against civilians and security forces along major routes in Lower Shabelle.
NISA said Hassan played a central role in coordinating and directing Al-Shabaab attacks in the region, including planting bombs that have caused repeated casualties among local residents and government personnel.
Gaashaan forces, who had been tracking the operative for months, “successfully eliminated” Hassan along with three of his armed guards during the nighttime operation, according to the agency.
NISA said the raid forms part of intensified security measures aimed at dismantling Al-Shabaab networks and improving civilian safety in one of the country’s most volatile regions. The agency vowed to sustain operations targeting remaining militant cells.
