MOGADISHU — Somalia’s spy agency claims it has dealt a major blow to al-Shabab, killing several of the group’s top commanders in a midnight assault on a militant hideout in Bariire, Lower Shabelle.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said its elite forces stormed the compound where the leaders were meeting to plot “imminent terrorist attacks.” Explosions and bursts of gunfire echoed through the farming town as the operation unfolded.
Officials described the strike as one of the most significant in recent months, calling it a “decapitation of key leadership.” Al-Shabab has not confirmed the deaths.
Bariire, a long-time militant stronghold about 60 km southwest of Mogadishu, has seen repeated clashes as Somali forces, backed by international partners, push to reclaim territory from the al-Qaeda-linked group.