Somalia’s National Intelligence Service Agency intercepted a minibus carrying 25 people, including minors, who are seeking to join Al-Shabaab militant group; the driver and two others suspected of facilitating the recruitment are detained.
AccordingΓΒ toΓΒ theΓΒ agency,ΓΒ theΓΒ peopleΓΒ wereΓΒ apprehendedΓΒ inΓΒ AfgoyeΓΒ townΓΒ inΓΒ theΓΒ LowerΓΒ ShabelleΓΒ regionΓΒ afterΓΒ aΓΒ tipΓΒ aboutΓΒ theirΓΒ travelΓΒ plans. ItΓΒ wentΓΒ onΓΒ toΓΒ sayΓΒ thatΓΒ theΓΒ securityΓΒ forcesΓΒ hadΓΒ alsoΓΒ apprehendedΓΒ theΓΒ vehicle’sΓΒ driverΓΒ andΓΒ twoΓΒ accomplicesΓΒ whoΓΒ wereΓΒ facilitatingΓΒ theΓΒ recruitment.
TheΓΒ SomaliΓΒ governmentΓΒ announcedΓΒ lastΓΒ monthΓΒ thatΓΒ itΓΒ hadΓΒ killedΓΒ 1,650ΓΒ al-ShabaabΓΒ terroristsΓΒ andΓΒ injuredΓΒ overΓΒ 550ΓΒ othersΓΒ inΓΒ aΓΒ seriesΓΒ ofΓΒ militaryΓΒ operationsΓΒ inΓΒ theΓΒ south-centralΓΒ regionsΓΒ overΓΒ theΓΒ previousΓΒ twoΓΒ months. AtΓΒ leastΓΒ 19ΓΒ high-level terroristsΓΒ wereΓΒ killedΓΒ inΓΒ theΓΒ operationsΓΒ inΓΒ GalmudugΓΒ andΓΒ HirshabelleΓΒ states.
In August this year, the spy agency arrested individuals linked to the leak of information from government agencies, in the latest crackdown within the country’s capital, Mogadishu. In a tweet, NISA confirmed arresting 10 suspected spies, just weeks after it was established that the militants still have contacts with individuals in government, including after an attack at the 14th October army training center, which left at least 25 trainees dead.
