Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) announced on Tuesday that a senior al-Shabaab commander was killed in a planned airstrike in Kuunyo Barrow, located in the Lower Shabelle region.
The militant, identified as Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, also known as “Abdullahi Wadaad,” served as al-Shabaab’s chief finance officer. NISA said he oversaw extortion operations and the management of funds extracted from Somali civilians.
Wadaad reportedly led the group’s so-called “taxation unit” in the Lower Shabelle and Banaadir regions and was notorious for abuses against local traders and civilians, according to the intelligence agency.
The operation was conducted in coordination with Somalia’s international security partners. It is part of a broader campaign to dismantle al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group that has waged a violent insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years.
Since July 2025, Somali forces, supported by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners, have intensified operations targeting al-Shabaab positions.
The UN Security Council renewed the AU mission’s mandate in December 2025 for another year, extending authorization until December 31, 2026, under a UK-backed resolution.