MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said Wednesday that it had killed a senior Al-Shabaab figure who oversaw the armed group’s financial operations for a decade, in a joint operation with international partners in the southern Lower Shabelle region.
The agency identified the figure as Faysal Yusuf Macallin Abdulle, also known as Abdikarim Horseed or Gaagaale, and said he led the group’s overall financial operations from 2014 to 2024.
According to NISA, Gaagaale continued to work closely with Al-Shabaab’s senior leadership after leaving the finance post. The agency said he had joined the group in 2007 and previously managed its financial operations in the Banadir region, which includes the capital, Mogadishu.
The operation took place on Oct. 23 in the Kuunyo Barrow area of Lower Shabelle, according to the agency.
His successor, Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, known as Abdullahi Wadaad, was killed in a separate operation in the same area on Jan. 23, NISA said.
The agency described the deaths of the two successive finance chiefs as a significant setback for Al-Shabaab’s leadership and financial networks.
The latest operation comes as Somali security forces, working with international partners, continue efforts to weaken the group’s leadership, disrupt its revenue streams and limit its capacity to carry out attacks.
Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government for more than 16 years. The group generates revenue through extortion and forced payments from businesses, traders and local communities, according to Somali authorities.
In October, NISA chief Mahad Mohamed Salad said operations conducted over the past year had killed more than 20 senior Al-Shabaab figures, including individuals linked to the group’s intelligence, security and financial networks.
