Tuesday 21 Act 2025 {HMC} The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), in collaboration with international partners, carried out a planned security operation on Monday night in Kuukaayle, an area under Maxaas district in Hiraan region.

The operation targeted hideouts used by As militants. During the mission, seven militants were killed, and several combat vehicles and makeshift shelters were destroyed, according to a statement from NISA.

The statement detailed that the operation took place in three phases. In the first phase, security forces struck a tent where three militants were hiding, resulting in their deaths. Minutes later, a second strike eliminated four more militants. The final phase of the operation destroyed vehicles the group had prepared for future attacks.

NISA launched the operation after gathering verified intelligence that indicated militant movements in the Kuukaayle area. Acting on that intelligence, the agency successfully neutralized the group’s plans to organize attacks against Somali civilians and security forces.

The agency reaffirmed its commitment to continue targeting  AS (Khawaarij) wherever they operate, underscoring its determination to protect the Somali people from extremist threats.

“The operation concluded successfully, and NISA remains steadfast in pursuing and dismantling any networks plotting harm against the nation,” the statement read.

Source Sonna

Tuesday 21 Act 2025 {HMC}   -H.E. Ambassador Ilyas Ali Hassan presented the copies of his Letters of Credence to H.E. Ms. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Discussions focused on strengthening Somalia–DRC brotherly relations, enhancing cooperation within the East African Community (EAC), and coordination at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), where Somalia currently serves and the DRC is set to join in 2026.

The Ambassador expressed appreciation to the Government of the DRC for hosting a large Somali community and for the warm hospitality extended to them. Talks also covered investment promotion, business facilitation, and visa and residence cooperation for Somali citizens.

Source Sonna

Tuesday 21 Act 2025 {HMC}   Israel has continued its air strikes and shootings in Gaza, raising fears over the future of its fragile ceasefire deal with Hamas, as United States envoys ramp up diplomacy to get the deal back on track.

The Palestinian Civil Defence agency said that four people were killed in two separate attacks, both times “by Israeli gunfire as they were returning to check on their homes” in the al-Shaaf area, east of Tuffah neighbourhood, in eastern Gaza City.

Israel’s military claimed it had fired at militants who crossed the so-called yellow line of demarcation and had approached troops in the Shujayea neighbourhood, which is adjacent to Tuffah, and “posed a threat” to Israeli soldiers.

The yellow line, set out in a map shared by US President Donald Trump on October 4, is the boundary behind which Israeli troops pulled back and remain stationed under the ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

Gaza City residents reported confusion over the line’s location because of a lack of a visible boundary. “The whole area is in ruins. We saw the maps but we can’t tell where those lines are,” said Samir, 50, who lives in Tuffah in the city’s east.

Several outbreaks of violence have taken place since a fragile US-brokered ceasefire began on October 10, with at least 97 Palestinians killed in total, according to Gaza officials.

‘Blatant breaches’

Amid the rising death toll, Israel and Hamas have pointed the finger at one another for breaking the terms of the ceasefire, which took effect on October 10.

Israeli air attacks on Sunday killed 42 people, including children, according to local health officials. Israel said the strikes were in retaliation for a truce violation by Hamas fighters, who it claimed shot and killed two Israeli soldiers in Rafah.

Hamas denied involvement in the event, saying it has no contact with any of its remaining units in Israeli-controlled parts of Rafah and “is not responsible for any incidents” there. One official accused Israel of fabricating “pretexts” to resume the war.

The group, which has released 20 living Israeli captives, said it was working to complete the handover of the remaining bodies of captives in Gaza, citing “major challenges because of the extensive destruction” of the enclave.

The Red Cross received the body of a 13th deceased captive from Hamas on Monday and transferred it to the Israeli military, according to the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On Sunday, Israel threatened to halt shipments of humanitarian aid into Gaza, though it later said it had resumed enforcing the ceasefire.

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the delivery of aid into the territory had resumed, though he did not say how much.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said on Monday that Israel was still blocking the entry of aid into Gaza. “Several military checkpoints are blocking their entry, and these trucks are packed with various humanitarian supplies,” he said.

Abu Azzoum said the Israeli army had struck the eastern parts of Khan Younis on Monday, triggering fears among Palestinians that the ceasefire would not hold.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said, “The fragile ceasefire in #Gaza must be upheld”, in a statement on X, and called for investigations into the “blatant breaches” of international humanitarian law.

Salvage efforts

Amid the continued violence, two of Trump’s envoys travelled to Israel on Monday to shore up the ceasefire deal.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, met with Netanyahu, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.

US Vice President JD Vance and the second lady, Usha Vance, are scheduled to visit Israel on Tuesday and meet with Netanyahu.

The ceasefire’s next stage is expected to focus on disarming Hamas, Israeli withdrawal from additional areas it controls in Gaza, and the future governance of the devastated territory under an internationally backed “board of peace”.

Egypt hosted talks in Cairo on Monday with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya over ways to follow up on implementing the ceasefire, Hamas said in a statement.

Hamas and other allied factions reject any foreign administration of Gaza, as envisaged in the Trump plan, and have so far resisted calls to lay down arms, which may complicate the implementation of the deal.

Asked about maintaining the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Trump appeared to blame Hamas for the ceasefire breaches, saying that it was facing “some rebellion” in its ranks, which the leaders needed to straighten out.

“They have to be good, and if they’re not good, they’ll be eradicated,” he said. But he insisted that such actions would not involve US troops on the ground.

Since the ceasefire started, Hamas security forces have returned to the streets in Gaza, clashing with other armed groups and killing alleged gangsters.

Trump had last week said that Hamas had taken out “a couple of gangs that were very bad; very, very bad gangs”.

“And that didn’t bother me much, to be honest with you. That’s OK,” he said.

Source Hiiraan Online

Tuesday 21 Act 2025 {HMC}    A delegation led by former Speaker of the House of the People Mohamed Mursal Sheikh Abdirahman was prevented from traveling Tuesday to Baidoa, the capital of Somalia’s Bay region.

The incident comes amid ongoing political tensions between politicians from the South West state and the region’s president, Abdiasis Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.

The delegation led by Mursal included several lawmakers from the region, among them MP Mohamed Abuukar Abdi, MP Mohamed Abdi Mohamed, MP Mukhtaar Mohamed Guuleed, MP Mohamed Keerow Mohamed, and MP Hawo Sokor Ali.

MP Mohamed Abdi Frank, a member of the delegation, said that President Laftagareen ordered airlines operating in Baidoa not to transport their group.

“The plane we were supposed to fly on said, ‘You can’t pick up those people.’ He gave orders to the planes operating in Baidoa, and that’s how our trip was blocked,” MP Frank told reporters.

The lawmakers said they plan to hold a press conference in Mogadishu in the coming hours to explain the reasons behind the travel restrictions and to outline their position on the political situation in South West state.

The South West state presidential election is expected to take place in the coming months, although no official date has been announced. Opposition figures have criticized regional leaders for delaying the vote and restricting political participation.

Source Hiiraan Online

Tuesday 21 Act 2025 {HMC}  The ongoing implementation of the Somalia Recurrent Cost & Reform Financing (RCRF) Phase III project has drawn criticism in Hirshabelle State, following concerns that the selection of districts under the initiative lacked regional balance and inclusivity.

The RCRF Phase III, implemented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, supports subnational governance and fiscal reforms by channeling funds to district administrations through two stages — the First Cohort and Second Cohort districts.

The project, funded by international partners, aims to strengthen local government service delivery, enhance fiscal discipline, and promote equitable development across federal member states.

While Southwest, Jubaland, and Galmudug who are implementing the project have demonstrated regional and clan diversity in selecting their cohort districts, Hirshabelle’s choices have sparked debate. The state chose Bal’ad as its second cohort district, following Warsheikh in the first cohort. Both districts are located in Middle Shabelle region and represent the same clan grouping, raising questions about fairness and inclusivity.

Analysts and regional observers argue that the decision undermines the project’s principles of equitable representation. They point out that Beledweyne, a major district in Hiiraan region, would have been a more balanced choice ensuring representation from both of Hirshabelle’s regions and fostering greater inclusivity.

“Other states like Southwest, Jubaland, and Galmudug ensured diversity either by changing the region or selecting districts from different communities. Hirshabelle’s case stands out as an exception,” one observer familiar with the project’s selection process said.

A review of cohort selections shows:

1. Southwest State: Wajid (1st Cohort) and Barawe (2nd Cohort) — representing different regions and clans.
2. Jubaland State: Dhobley (1st) and Dolow (2nd) — different regions and clans.
3. Galmudug State: Abduwak (1st) and Adado (2nd) — same region but different clans.
4. Hirshabelle State: Warsheikh (1st) and Bal’ad (2nd) — same region and same clan.

Stakeholders have urged the Ministry of Interior of Hirshabelle and the RCRF coordination unit to review the selection to ensure consistency with national standards of fairness and inclusivity.

The RCRF Phase III, identified as Project ID: P173731, is now in its final implementation year (2025). The project’s closing date was recently extended to December 31, 2025, to enable the completion of ongoing reforms. These include advancing public financial management, strengthening intergovernmental fiscal transfers, and supporting health and education service delivery.

Source Hiiraan Online