Wednesday January 1, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbaloolshe affirmed that the federal government is committed to ensuring justice for the six soldiers brutally killed in El-Baraf district, Middle Shabelle region.
Speaking from Mahas district in Hiiraan, where efforts to address the Thursday attack are ongoing, Sanbaloolshe emphasized that the incident is not now a clan issue but a matter of national concern. The soldiers, members of the Hawadle clan, were reportedly ambushed and executed in a clan revenge attack while on leave and traveling to their families.
“The government is responsible for ensuring justice for these boys who were killed in such a brutal manner. This is not a matter between two clans. The government is ready to bring the perpetrators to justice, even if it means trying them in absentia,” said Sanbaloolshe.
He urged Hawadle clan intellectuals to help ease tensions by burying the slain soldiers and addressing the crisis in Beledweyne. He also called on soldiers who left their frontline positions to return, warning that overcrowding in Beledweyne could destabilize the town.
Separately, Somali army chief General Odawa Yusuf Rage visited SNA forces in El-Dher district, Galgadud region, following protests by troops over the killings. General Odawa met with military commanders and assured the forces that justice would be served, emphasizing the importance of maintaining their defensive positions and continuing anti-al-Shabab operations.
Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre has also pledged swift action against those responsible for the killings, stressing that the Federal Government and Hirshabelle State will handle the matter. He rejected attempts to resolve the case through familial or tribal negotiations, underlining the government’s commitment to upholding justice.
