Infiltration in Somalia’s military training academy?

MOGADISHU, Somalia - On Wednesday, a suicide bomber targeted Jaalle Siyaad military training school, killing four soldiers after striking the vicinity of the facility within Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, leading to questions about the safety of these vital installations.

Among the dead were junior officers attached to the 14 October Brigade, which was created in commemoration of the October 14th, 2017, attack at Mogadishu’s K-5 junction, where over 600 people were killed.

Somalia-based al-Shabaab militants claimed the attack, reporting that several people were killed and others injured. The group frequently targets military installations, including training schools and bases, as they advance their agenda.

But there are questions whether the al-Shabaab has infiltrated the military, given frequent attacks facing this particular facility, which trains thousands of junior officers in the country. For the last two years, it has borne the brunt of the attacks.

It’s the same brigade that an al-Shabaab suicide bomber targeted two years ago this month, killing 25 soldiers and injuring more than 70 others. The government arrested three soldiers in connection with the attack, but since then, no reports have been tabled publicly about their prosecution.

At that time, there were reports that the raid was instigated by insiders, leading to the death of 25 people. It is not clear why the Ministry of Defence and the army leadership have yet to publish the inquiry into the incident.

In April 2025, Colonel Nur Farey, the Commander of the 14th October Brigade, was killed by a man wearing a military uniform in the Addow Dibille area near Afgoye town, sources reported at that time.

Colonel Nur Farey was addressing soldiers when a man shouting a word repeatedly approached and fired shots, fatally injuring him. An Investigation is underway to determine if the man was a Shabaab infiltrator. Farey was leading mobilisations aimed at recapturing Awdhegle town from al-Shabaab, an official said

Reports later confirmed that the attacker was an Al-Shabaab infiltrator who had been training with the military. This particular incident triggered outcry with security experts warning that Al-Shabaab fighters may have made a massive infiltration in the security sector.

GAROWE ONLINE