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Six senior Al-Shabaab 'tax collectors' killed in central Somalia

Al-shaabab fighters in a file photo.

By Hassan Mohamed | Wednesday, January 31, 2024

In the latest operation over the weekend, Al-Shabaab lost six senior tax collectors killed in an airstrike in Buuqaqable Town.

The Al-Shabaab terror group is fast losing revenue and men following sustained pressure by Somalia and its friends who continue to undertake targeted elimination of key militants.

In the latest operation over the weekend, Al-Shabaab lost six senior tax collectors killed in an airstrike in Buuqaqable Town in central Somalia as claimed today by the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA).

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The agency said the operation to kill the six was jointly conducted with the help of friends of Somalia and that the slain men were responsible for collecting illegal tax for Al-Shabaab in Somalia. Somalia has no military planes and depends on friendly States for support.

“NISA in coordination with friends of Somalia conducted an operation in Buuq-aqable town of Hiiran region to kill Al-Shabaab members who were blown up driving two cars after attending a training. This operation conducted on 28 January successfully eliminated terrorists whom we have been carefully monitoring their movement,” a NISA statement read before naming the six slain commanders.

The six are, Osman Ali Abdi, Jalalaqsi District Chief Tax Collector, Bulle Kabey who was in charge of transport in Middle Shabelle region, Mohamed Abukar, Chief Tax Collector of El-Ali town in Hiiran region, Abdisalaan, Chief Tax Collector of Middle Shabelle region, Maalim Yasin, Tax Collector, Shaw town, Hiiran region, Maalim Adan Fanah, Senior Tax Collection Coordinator for Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

The agency warned Al-Shabaab members it will continue to hunt them down wherever they are.

The killing of the six coincides with a NISA cybercrime unit announcement yesterday confirming to have successfully cracked down and closed an Al-Shabaab criminal ring in Somalia responsible for spreading propaganda, intimidating people, and extorting money from the public.

NISA has also shut down 14 of the terrorist group's websites hosted outside of the country. These websites served as platforms for spreading propaganda and recruiting new members.

Following months of investigation, NISA has identified and shared the names of the individuals who registered these websites with the relevant authorities in the respective countries. Most of these websites were already banned in many countries, and this move marks a significant milestone in the efforts to disrupt Al-Shabaab's online activities and limit their reach."