Thursday 15 jun 2026 {HMC} Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency, working with international security partners, bombed a high-level meeting of militant leaders in the Middle Juba region on Wednesday.
The operation took place in Bu’aale district and targeted a safe house used by senior commanders of the al-Qaida-linked group as. According to security sources, the compound was being used for strategic meetings at the time of the strike.
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Officials said the mission was intelligence-led and aimed at dismantling the group’s senior leadership, striking at its ability to plan and coordinate attacks. The location, deep inside an area long regarded as a militant stronghold, underscored what authorities described as an expanded operational reach by Somali security forces and their partners.
Security officials characterized the strike as “heavy” and designed to disrupt the group’s command-and-control capabilities. They said it reflected an intensified campaign to pursue militant leaders even in areas previously considered beyond the government’s reach.
Details about the identities of those targeted and the number of casualties were still being verified, officials said, cautioning that assessments were ongoing.
The federal government indicated that the impact of the operation was substantial but said it would release confirmed information once verification was complete.
Middle Juba has remained one of al-Shabab’s most entrenched areas, serving as a hub for leadership, logistics and training. Somali forces, backed by international partners, have stepped up air and ground operations in recent months in an effort to weaken the group’s leadership and limit its ability to mount attacks elsewhere in the country.
Source Hiiraan Online
