MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – The “mastermind” behind a deadly bomb attack targeting Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in March was killed in a drone strike conducted by one of the country’s international partners, the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said on Tuesday.
Mohamed Abdi Dhiblawe, identified by NISA as a senior Al-Shabaab operative, was killed in the agricultural town of Ugunji near Janale in the Lower Shabelle region. According to the agency, a drone strike targeted a NOAH vehicle in which Dhiblawe and other militants were traveling. NISA did not disclose which international partner carried out the operation.
Dhiblawe was allegedly the mastermind of the March 18 assassination attempt on President Mohamud, whose convoy came under attack at El Gab junction in Mogadishu. The president, who had just left the presidential complex and was en route to the airport to travel to the conflict-hit Middle Shabelle region, escaped unharmed. However, part of his convoy was hit, killing a number of people, including security personnel and civilians.
In a statement, NISA said Dhiblawe had orchestrated multiple bombing attacks that had resulted in significant casualties in recent years.
Al-Shabaab has not commented on the reported strike, and there has been no independent confirmation of NISA’s claim.
The assassination attempt sparked a high-level investigation. However, the inquiry took a dramatic turn when a senior NISA officer leading the probe was shot dead in August during an overnight operation, allegedly by members of his own team. The officer had been scheduled to brief the president on the investigation’s progress the following day.
Several officers have since been arrested in connection with the killing. NISA has yet to release the findings of either investigation.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, has waged a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s Western-backed government for over a decade, frequently targeting security forces and officials.
