Somalia says strike kills founding Al-Shabaab leader

MOGADISHU, July 20  – Somalia said Monday that a founding member of Al-Shabaab and a senior figure in the group's Shura Council had been killed in a joint military operation carried out by Somali security forces with support from international partners after more than a year of intelligence gathering.

At a press conference in Mogadishu, Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said the operation was conducted on July 5, 2026, following a 14-month intelligence investigation and surveillance campaign targeting Ibrahim "Moalim Jinaaw".

According to Fiqi, the strike hit a hut inside a farm in the Sabiyo area, between the districts of Afgooye and Basra in the Lower Shabelle region, where the militant leader was staying under the protection of Al-Shabaab fighters.

The minister said Ibrahim "Moalim Jinaaw" was one of Al-Shabaab's founders and the ninth member of the group's Shura Council, its highest decision-making body.

Fiqi said the commander played a key role in directing the group's military operations, overseeing its extortion network, coordinating attacks and serving as a close senior adviser to Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Diriye, also known as Abu Ubaidah.

He accused Ibrahim "Moalin Jinaaw" of overseeing attacks and abuses in the regions of Bay, Bakool, Hiraan and Galgaduud, including killings, the forced recruitment of children, the seizure of weapons from local communities and the intimidation of traditional elders.

The defence minister said the government confirmed the militant's death through intelligence indicating he had been killed in the strike.

He said the operation was part of Somalia's campaign to target Al-Shabaab's senior leadership, adding that several top commanders had been killed in recent years and that military operations against the group would continue until all of its senior leaders were eliminated.

Fiqi congratulated the Somali National Army and the country's security agencies for the operation and thanked international partners for their continued support in the campaign against Al-Shabaab.

GAROWE ONLINE