Senior al-Shabaab weapons, explosives smuggler apprehended in Somalia: Spy agency

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Somalia has announced that it apprehended a senior al-Shabaab operative responsible for procuring weaponry and explosives from foreign sources.

The spy agency said Sakaria Kamal, better known as Saki, is responsible for procuring weaponry “solely to arm the Kharijite adversary and inflict harm upon the innocent Somali people.”

“Khawarij” or “Kharijite” is a term the Somali government uses to describe the al-Qaeda-affiliated group. It refers to a 7th century violent extremist group that legalized the killing of all those not following its own brand of religion.

Kamal is a 28-year-old Somali who has been under surveillance for some time, according to NISA.

“Finally, NISA successfully apprehended him just as he was preparing to disappear and seek out the elusive hideouts of the Khawarij factions within Somalia,” it said.

He was also accused of being the mastermind behind a network involved in the illicit procurement of a military container from abroad.

Information Minister Daud Aweis said his arrest is a major victory against terrorism in the Horn of Africa nation.

“His arrest brings hope for justice and peace,” he wrote on X.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS affiliated groups.

Since 2007, the al-Shabaab group has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

The group has increased attacks since the Somali president, who was elected for a second term last year, declared an “all-out war” on al-Shabaab.