Mogadishu, Somalia – Al-Shabaab militants stormed a major national intelligence agency base in a heavily fortified area of Mogadishu on Saturday, using a disguised vehicle to launch the assault just hours after the government touted improved security by reopening dozens of city roads.

The Somali government confirmed the complex attack on the notorious “Godka Jilacow” detention and interrogation center, which is run by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and located near the presidential palace.

In a preliminary statement, the government said the operation to neutralize the attackers was still underway.

“Today, around 4:40 PM, Khawarij militias launched a suicide attack on the Godka Jilicow center,” the government statement released on state media said, using the term “Khawarij,” meaning “deviants,” which it uses to refer to Al-Shabaab.

“Some of the enemy militias have been shot, and the final operation to end this attacking group is now underway,” the statement added, promising further updates.

Officials said the assailants employed deceptive tactics, disguising themselves as security forces and using a vehicle painted with NISA insignia to breach the facility’s perimeter. Godka Jilacow is one of the country’s most well-known NISA facilities, used for holding and questioning high-value suspects in the long-running war against the Islamist insurgency.

Attack undermines security claims

The brazen assault delivered a direct challenge to the government’s recent narrative of success in securing the capital. Earlier on Saturday, authorities had celebrated a significant step toward normalcy by reopening 52 roads, many of which had been blocked for years by concrete barriers to thwart vehicle-bomb attacks on government buildings.

The move was intended to ease Mogadishu’s crippling traffic congestion and signal confidence that government forces had gained the upper hand against the militants in the capital, which had experienced a period of relative calm in recent months.

Speaking at a ceremony for the road openings, Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre hailed the progress.

“We have started to open 52 roads… and we will open the remaining ones soon,” Barre said hours before the attack. “This is a testament to the hard work of our security forces in stabilizing the capital.”

A Persistent insurgency

Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda, has been waging a violent insurgency against the internationally backed federal government of Somalia for over 15 years. The group seeks to topple the government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Though pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011, the group retains control over large swathes of rural southern and central Somalia. From these strongholds, it continues to launch deadly attacks against civilian, government, and military targets across the country and in neighboring nations.

The Somali government, led by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, launched a “total war” against the jihadists in mid-2022, marshalling national forces and local clan militias. The offensive has successfully recaptured significant territory. However, Al-Shabaab has responded by escalating its campaign of asymmetric warfare, including high-profile attacks in major cities.

Saturday’s assault on a key NISA installation in one of Mogadishu’s most secure zones underscores the group’s enduring intelligence capabilities and its capacity to strike at the heart of the state security apparatus. The attack shatters the recent calm in the capital. It serves as a grim reminder of the persistent threat the insurgency poses to Somalia’s stability.