MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somali security forces on Sunday ended a nearly 10-hour siege by Al-Shabaab militants on a high-security intelligence compound located within the presidential palace perimeter, just hours after the government had declared the capital safe from militant threats.
According to a statement from Somalia’s Ministry of Internal Security, seven Al-Shabaab gunmen were killed during the operation to retake control of the Jil’ow compound – home to the intelligence command center for the Banadir region and an underground prison that holds terrorism suspects.
While officials have not released an official death toll, local reports indicate that as many as 20 people, mostly combatants, may have been killed in the prolonged gun battles that engulfed central Mogadishu overnight. Residents reported hearing intense gunfire and large explosions in neighborhoods surrounding Villa Somalia, the seat of the presidency, casting a shadow of terror over the city after months of relative calm.
Authorities revealed that the attackers used a vehicle disguised as belonging to the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) – complete with agency insignia – to breach the otherwise tightly guarded security checkpoints leading to the Jil’ow facility.
“This incident underscores the urgency of enforcing strict controls on the movement of armed vehicles and limiting heavy weaponry in the capital,” the Ministry said, calling on all security forces and government officials to adhere to protocols aimed at safeguarding the city.
The Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, stating its fighters targeted what it described as a secret NISA prison where “Muslim inmates are tortured.” However, the group offered no further details.
Unverified footage circulating on social media appeared to show prisoners escaping during the chaos. The government has yet to confirm whether any detainees escaped or were killed in the clashes.
Images also showed that the attackers’ vehicle was initially denied entry at one checkpoint leading to the presidential palace but managed to bypass others and reach the intelligence compound’s entrance – raising fresh concerns about serious security lapses.
The attack occurred just hours after Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, NISA chief Mahad Salad, and Mogadishu Mayor Hassan Mohamed Hussein had publicly declared the capital secure from Al-Shabaab. Their announcement included the reopening of more than 50 roads that had been closed for years to prevent car bombings, with some roads reopened on the same day as the attack.
Just a day earlier, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told worshippers at the presidential mosque that opposition politicians should no longer move around Mogadishu with gun-mounted battle wagons, claiming even he does not require such security in a “now safe” city.
Critics argue the government’s timing was politically motivated, intended to showcase stability and gain public favor ahead of upcoming elections. Some accuse officials of prematurely lifting key security measures for electoral gain – moves they say may have inadvertently enabled the militants to carry out one of the most brazen assaults in recent years inside the capital’s most secure zone.
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