Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has announced the killing of a former head of Al-Shabaab’s financial operations who held senior positions within the militant group for more than a decade.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, October 28, NISA said Faysal Yusuf Macallin Cabdulle, also known as Cabdikariin Horseed or Gaagaale, was killed during a planned operation on October 23 in Kuunyo Barrow, in the Lower Shabelle region.
The agency said the operation was conducted in cooperation with international partners, describing Faysal as a senior figure who had worked closely with Al-Shabaab’s top leadership.
According to NISA, Faysal secretly joined the group in 2007 while working at a shop in Mogadishu’s Bakara Market. The agency said the shop served as cover for his activities within the organisation.
He subsequently rose through the group’s financial structures, first overseeing its financial office in the Banadir region before taking on broader responsibilities.
Between 2007 and 2011, NISA said, Faysal headed what Al-Shabaab called its Banadir regional finance office, where he managed money collected from residents through extortion.
He later became head of the group’s accounts between 2011 and 2014 before taking over as its overall finance chief in 2014, a position he held until 2024.
His successor was also killed
NISA said Faysal handed over the top financial position to Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, better known as Abdullahi Wadaad, in 2024.
Wadaad was killed during an operation on January 23, 2026, in the same Kuunyo Barrow area, according to the agency.
The deaths of the two successive finance chiefs are significant to the Somali government’s campaign against Al-Shabaab’s financial networks, which authorities say help sustain the group’s operations.
NISA described the latest killing as a blow to the group’s leadership and financial structures, adding that it would continue targeting senior members and networks involved in collecting money used to finance attacks.
The agency also urged members of the public to share information about security threats and the activities of Al-Shabaab and Islamic State in Somalia through its designated contact numbers.