The Al-Qaeda branch in Somalia has taken into custody 15 fighters arbitrary suspected of espionage after an airstrike decimated an IED Factory and the groups Communication Center in Esagur, in El-Adde town of Gedo prefecture. This comes a day after Somalia issued a statement claiming that the airstrike targeted civilian’s. Mogadishu further claimed the airstrike originated from Kenya thus indicting the Kenyan Defense Forces. A Damage assessment by intelligence assets verified the air strike struck a warehouse-structure operated by the terrorists group. The African Mission in Somalia, AMISOM however disputed the Somali claim and appraised the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) contingent operations in SECTOR-2 and beyond.
The group Amniyaat personnel conducted the arrests on Sunday 6th of June 2021 and subsequently confiscated the fighters devices. The 15 militants are largely local and some from Kenya. The fighters were taken to Buale, in Middle Juba for sentencing over alleged directing of airstrikes targeting the groups facilities and espionage.
In most cases, the terrorist group jails the fighters for lengthy periods then kill them. A firing squad is often tasked with the killings, an event which is conducted in an open field outside a village or town center. The arbitrary arrests have however blunted the groups amiability to foreign fighters. They are often blamed for spying and that has led to a consistent decline of the terror group as a choice destination foreign jihadists.
In the air raid, the group lost a significant number of improvised explosive devices (IED) experts, raw materials, finished IED’s, and 2 vehicular bombs that were to be used in raids targeting AMISOM troops in SECTOR-2. This is a catastrophic tactical capacity loss to the group and a significant win to Counter Terrorism Operators. Such operations continue to degrade the group’s capability to conduct attacks and recruit fighters.
