By HAN News Desk
MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) killed at least 524 people during security operations carried out over the past year, most of them members and senior commanders of the al-Shabab militant group, according to an investigative report published by the Somali media outlet Goobjoog.
The report, which reviewed a year of counterterrorism activities, said the majority of the deaths resulted from airstrikes conducted jointly by NISA and Somalia’s international partners, who provide intelligence, logistical and aerial support to the federal government.
According to Goobjoog’s findings, the operations primarily targeted key al-Shabab figures accused of planning or carrying out attacks against civilians, government institutions and security forces. The strikes focused on militant hideouts and meeting locations believed to host senior operatives involved in coordinating insurgent activities.
Most of the air and ground operations in 2025 were carried out in Lower Shabelle, Middle Shabelle and Hiraan regions, areas that have remained strongholds for al-Shabab despite years of military pressure. These regions have seen intensified fighting as the Somali government escalates its campaign to weaken the group’s operational capacity.
Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, has waged an insurgency in Somalia for more than 15 years and continues to carry out deadly bombings and assassinations, particularly in Mogadishu and surrounding regions. The group has not commented on the reported casualties.
Somali authorities say the increased use of precision airstrikes and intelligence-driven operations is part of a broader strategy to dismantle al-Shabab’s leadership structure and disrupt its ability to finance and plan attacks. Government officials have repeatedly stated that such operations are conducted to protect civilians, though human rights groups have previously called for transparency regarding civilian harm.
The report comes as Somalia’s federal government intensifies its security offensive with the backing of international partners, aiming to reclaim territory, stabilize liberated areas and prepare for a transition toward full national security responsibility.
