Somali intelligence kills Al-Shabaab leader behind presidential convoy attack
The death of the militant adds to the heavy casualties suffered by the terrorist group this year, following heightened operations that have weakened its capacity and operations.
The Somali National Intelligence Agency (NISA) has announced the killing of Mohamed Abdi Dhiblawe, a senior Al-Shabaab leader behind the explosion targeting the Somali President's convoy early this year.
"Senior Al-Shabaab terrorist leader Mohamed Abdi Dhiblawe, who was the mastermind behind the explosion targeting President Hassan Sheikh's convoy in Mogadishu on 18 March 2025, was eliminated in an operation executed by NISA and international partners in Ugunji village," the agency said in a post on X.
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The deceased, who also went by the aliases Khalid Dheere, Khalid Dacas, Maallin Siciid, Timo-jilac, and Mohamed Sahal, was killed this afternoon in a targeted operation targeting a Noah car carrying him and another assailant.
"The leader was also involved in bombings and other security incidents that targeted civilians, and he has been directly targeted since the Ceel-Gaabta bombing. NISA will provide additional information regarding the operation and the leader's plans," the agency added.
The death of the militant adds to the heavy casualties suffered by the terrorist group this year, following heightened operations that have weakened its capacity and operations.
Other Al-Shabaab leaders killed recently include: Abdi Jabbar, the group's lead bomb expert in the Lower Shabelle region. He was killed at the beginning of July.
On July 27, this year, NISA Special Forces conducted a planned operation last night in Afgooye district, Lower Shabelle region, and arrested two members of the militia who had secretly entered Afgooye.
"One of whom is a leader in charge of collecting extortion money, while the second member is a member of the department they call the amniyada, who was involved in collecting information on government forces and planning secret assassinations. The arrest of these Khawarij leaders in charge of extortion money follows an official warning issued by NISA on the 20th of this month, which stated that the collection and disbursement of such funds is terrorist financing against the law of the country and international regulations," the agency said in the same month, adding that the Federal Government of Somalia remained committed to eliminating the militia who pose a threat to national security.
Last month, a regional analysis of counter-terrorism operations in Kenya and Somalia noted that they have dealt major blows to Al-Shabaab, killing hundreds of fighters in the two countries and disrupting the group's activities and capacity between April and June this year.
According to the latest IGAD Centre for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism's analysis of Violent Extremism in the second quarter alone, about 932 people were killed, 85 per cent of whom were militants, and 412 were injured, most of whom were also militants.
Civilian and security forces deaths comprised 15 per cent of the tally during the quarter that was marked by intense fighting in Somalia and targeted cross-border ambushes in Kenya.
The figures highlight the intensity of Somali forces and allied counter-offensives, even as civilian deaths remained concentrated in urban bombings, particularly in Mogadishu.
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