Villa Somalia cancels security meeting over Fahad Yasin's absence

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A National Security Council meeting scheduled for Saturday was postponed by Villa Somalia following the absence of the disgraced National Intelligence and Security Agency [NISA] Fahad Yasin, who was forced to return to Turkey after the plane he was traveling on in was turned away in Djibouti.

The divisive former intelligence officer was sacked by Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble over the death of Ikran Tahlil, a junior employee within NISA, but was quickly elevated by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, who appointed him as his chief security advisor.

Despite the last-minute cancellation, Garowe Online has also learned that Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble and a host of Federal Member States leaders were set to boycott the meeting as Somalia's political crisis took another twist.

"The National Security Committee meeting of the Federal Government of Somalia which was scheduled to be held today 18-09-2021 and chaired by H.E President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has been rescheduled. The new date will be communicated separately," said Abdirashid Hashi, the Director Communications in Villa Somalia.

Yasin, a close ally of President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, has been sued by the family of Ikran Tahlil, which accuse him of orchestrating the murder. He's believed to have been in contact with the former official, who is said to have been in possession of explosive information about Somali soldiers training in Eritrea.

Sources who exclusively spoke to the Garowe Online confirmed that a controversial former director of NISA, Fahad Yassin, was blocked from boarding a Turkish Airways flight Mogadishu. The flight arrived safely in Mogadishu on Saturday without Fahad Yasin.

Ahead of his anticipated arrival, The Villa Somalia subordinates were seen at Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport preparing a grand welcome for the disgraced former NISA boss. He has often been linked to political crises in the Horn of Africa nation.

Even with the security council failing to sit, the international community is piling pressure on the Somali leadership to solve their standoff and pave way for elections. PM Roble and Farmaajo are embroiled in a tussle over the control of elections and security.

GAROWE ONLINE