MOGADISHU, Somalia — August 31, 2026 — Somalia’s government says Abdullahi Hashi Labajir, better known as “Ikhlaas,” the overall intelligence chief of the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group, was killed in a planned operation in Jilib district, Middle Juba, potentially removing one of the militant organisation’s longest-serving senior figures.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency, known as NISA, announced on Sunday that the operation was conducted jointly with international partners on August 23.
NISA said Ikhlaas had headed Al-Shabaab’s intelligence operations since 2013 and was one of the most influential officials within the group’s senior leadership.
Al-Shabaab had not confirmed his death by Sunday. The government’s account could not be independently verified because Jilib remains under the militant group’s control and access to the area is severely restricted.
Government confirms Jilib operation
Information Minister Abdifatah Kasim Mohamud confirmed the government’s announcement and provided details about the operation during a media briefing on Sunday.
The government did not identify the international partners involved or explain the exact method used to target Ikhlaas. Some media reports described the operation as an airstrike, while the initial NISA statement referred to it only as a carefully planned joint operation.
Officials also did not say whether other Al-Shabaab members or civilians were killed or injured.
Jilib is considered one of Al-Shabaab’s main administrative and operational centres in southern Somalia. The town and surrounding areas have repeatedly been targeted by Somali forces and foreign partners seeking to disrupt the group’s command structure.
NISA described the operation as part of an intensified campaign against senior Al-Shabaab commanders, explosives specialists and operational planners.
Al-Shabaab intelligence network
According to Somali security officials, Ikhlaas supervised Al-Shabaab’s intelligence wing, commonly known as the Amniyat.
The unit is accused of gathering intelligence, monitoring suspected informants and supporting assassinations and attacks against government officials, security personnel and civilians. It also plays an internal security role by enforcing discipline and identifying suspected spies within areas controlled by the group.
NISA said Ikhlaas had held the intelligence position for approximately 13 years, making him one of the group’s longest-serving senior officials.
Security authorities did not provide information about who might succeed him or whether other senior intelligence operatives were targeted during the August 23 operation.
If his death is independently confirmed, it would represent the removal of a senior official with extensive knowledge of Al-Shabaab’s internal networks and operational planning. The group, however, has repeatedly replaced commanders killed in military operations and continued conducting attacks.
Recent operations against Al-Shabaab commanders
The announcement follows several government-reported operations against Al-Shabaab’s leadership and military infrastructure.
On August 15, NISA said three senior commanders identified as Abdi Haafid, Daalibaan and Omar Hussein were killed during an operation in the Hiiraan region.
The agency also reported that Mustaf Caato, described as the commander of Al-Shabaab’s Hiiraan fronts, was seriously wounded. NISA accused Caato of overseeing explosives operations and helping organise attacks in central Somalia. Those claims were not independently verified.
In June, NISA said 29 Al-Shabaab members were killed in coordinated operations in Middle Shabelle and Hiiraan. The agency said those killed included the group’s chief explosives operative in Hiiraan.
Somalia’s Defence Ministry reported in April that government forces and international partners killed 27 Al-Shabaab fighters in operations across Lower Juba and Middle Juba. Officials said senior figures were among the dead but released limited information about their identities.
The repeated operations form part of Somalia’s wider campaign to weaken Al-Shabaab in central and southern regions, where the group continues to control or influence rural territory.
Previous senior leaders killed
Somali and international forces have killed several senior Al-Shabaab figures during past operations.
In October 2022, the Somali government announced the death of Abdullahi Nadir, one of Al-Shabaab’s co-founders and a possible successor to the group’s current leader, Ahmed Diriye. Nadir was reportedly killed during an operation conducted with international partners in Middle Juba.
Maalim Ayman, another senior commander, was killed in a joint Somali and United States operation in December 2023. Ayman was accused of planning attacks in Somalia and Kenya, including the January 2020 assault on a military facility at Manda Bay, where three Americans were killed.
Al-Shabaab’s former leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed in a United States airstrike in September 2014. Ahmed Diriye, also known as Abu Ubaidah, later assumed leadership of the organisation.
Despite those losses, Al-Shabaab remains Somalia’s most powerful armed insurgent group. It continues to collect taxes in areas under its influence and conduct bombings, assassinations and armed attacks against government, military and civilian targets.