Somalia’s intelligence agency says it killed Faysal Yusuf Macallin Abdulle, a former Al-Shabaab finance chief who oversaw the group’s financial operations from 2014 to 2024, in a joint operation with international partners in Lower Shabelle.
The agency identified the man as Faysal Yusuf Macallin Abdulle, also known as Abdikarim Horseed or Gaagaale, saying he managed the group’s financial operations from 2014 to 2024.
NISA did not disclose the precise location of the operation, when it took place or the identities of the international partners involved.
The announcement comes as Somali security forces, backed by international partners, continue operations against Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the federal government for more than 15 years.
The group, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, frequently carries out bombings, assassinations and attacks on military positions and civilian targets in Somalia. It also maintains a network of financial operations that helps fund its insurgency.
NISA described Abdulle as a senior figure in the group’s financial structure, a role that would have placed him at the centre of its efforts to collect and manage funds used to sustain its operations.
Al-Shabaab has financed its activities through a range of revenue-generating methods, including extortion, forced taxation of businesses and communities, and the collection of payments from commercial transport moving through areas under its influence.
The group has continued to generate revenue despite years of military pressure from Somali forces and international partners, allowing it to maintain an operational presence in parts of southern and central Somalia.
NISA said Abdulle’s successor, Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, known as Abdullahi Wadaad, was killed in a separate operation in the same region in January.
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The agency did not provide further details about the January operation or explain whether the latest killing would have an immediate impact on the group’s financial network.
The deaths of the two men, according to NISA’s account, mark the targeting of successive officials responsible for managing Al-Shabaab’s finances.
Somalia has intensified efforts to weaken the group’s operational and financial capabilities as part of a broader campaign against the insurgency.
Lower Shabelle, a region southwest of the capital Mogadishu, has long been a key area of military activity because of its strategic location, agricultural production and road links connecting the capital to other parts of southern Somalia.
Al-Shabaab has repeatedly targeted security forces and government-linked institutions in the region, while Somali forces have conducted operations aimed at removing the group from areas where it maintains a presence.
The federal government has relied on international assistance, including intelligence cooperation and military support, in its campaign against the militants.
However, the group remains capable of launching attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere, highlighting the challenges facing Somali authorities as they seek to restore security and extend state control across the country.
NISA’s announcement did not include independent evidence confirming the circumstances of Abdulle’s death, and the agency’s account could not be independently verified.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
