Thursday 22, May 2025 {HMC} The Director of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbaloolshe, is holding high-level meetings with elders and community leaders in Moqokori district as the federal government intensifies its military operations against al-Shabaab in the Hiiraan region.
Now in his fourth day in the district, Sanbaloolshe urged traditional elders to step up their support for the ongoing offensive, particularly in areas where fierce fighting has erupted between Macawisley militia and al-Shabaab fighters in recent days.
“The fight against al-Shabaab must be redoubled,” Sanbaloolshe told the elders, praising their pivotal role in mobilizing community-backed resistance against the group. He assured them of the full backing of the federal government, including intelligence and logistical support.
The traditional elders appreciated NISA’s leadership and reaffirmed their commitment to the national effort to defeat the militant group.
These meetings come amid one of the largest coordinated offensives against al-Shabaab in months. In the past 72 hours, Somali National Army forces, alongside clan fighters and international allies, have killed more than 120 al-Shabaab militants, including senior figures, in Hiiraan, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubbaland, and Southwest states.
Minister of Defense Ahmed Macalin Fiqi described the operations as a “new phase” in Somalia’s campaign to eliminate the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, which has waged a deadly insurgency against the Somali state for over 16 years.
The presence of the NISA chief on the frontlines underscores the Somali government’s focus on community-driven counterterrorism as it seeks to consolidate recent military gains and push al-Shabaab out of rural strongholds.
Source Hiiraan online
