MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s military court on Thursday executed three members of the jihadist group Al-Shabaab who were convicted of carrying out assassinations for the organization’s feared intelligence wing, officials said.
The men were executed by firing squad at dawn in the capital, Mogadishu, at the General Kahiye Police Academy, a common site for state-sanctioned executions.
Military court officials, who were present at the execution, confirmed the identities of the condemned men as Qudama Hamze Yusuf Mohamed (alias “Yahye”), Abdi Hassan Roble (alias “Afeey”), and Ibrahim Omar Shamcun (alias “Hubka”).
“All three men were found guilty of belonging to the terrorist group Al-Shabaab and carrying out several planned assassinations in Mogadishu and the Lower Shabelle region,” a military court official told reporters at the scene. “The court’s sentence of death has been carried out this morning.”
The trio was part of the Amniyat, a highly secretive and disciplined unit that functions as Al-Shabaab’s intelligence and assassination squad, tasked with high-profile attacks and infiltrating government-held territory.
Al-Shabaab’s feared ‘Amniyat’ unit
The Amniyat is considered one of the most effective and ruthless branches of the Al-Qaeda-linked group. Its operatives are responsible for gathering intelligence, policing Al-Shabaab’s members, and planning and executing complex attacks, including suicide bombings and targeted killings of government officials, security personnel, and civilians accused of spying.
According to Somali security officials, the three executed militants were explicitly involved in “madax jabis,” a Somali term meaning “head-breaking,” used to describe the group’s assassination campaigns. Their convictions stemmed from a series of targeted killings that have contributed to the climate of fear in areas the government is struggling to secure fully.
The Lower Shabelle region, located just south of Mogadishu, has long been a flashpoint in the conflict. Its strategic importance and fertile lands have made it a key battleground, with swathes of the region frequently changing hands between Al-Shabaab and government forces, who are often backed by African Union troops.
The executions are part of the Somali government’s aggressive stance against the insurgency under President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who declared an “all-out war” on Al-Shabaab after taking office in 2022. The government frequently uses military courts to try terror suspects, handing down swift and harsh sentences, including the death penalty.
While the government defends the practice as a necessary deterrent, human rights organizations have repeatedly voiced concerns. Groups like Human Rights Watch have criticized Somalia’s military courts for failing to meet international fair trial standards, citing issues such as the denial of adequate legal representation and the trial of civilians in military tribunals.
Despite these criticisms, the Somali government maintains that the tribunals are a crucial component of its national security strategy to dismantle the jihadist network.
An unrelenting insurgency
Al-Shabaab has been waging a brutal insurgency against the Somali federal government for more than 15 years. The group seeks to topple the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu and impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Although a major government offensive, supported by local clan militias, has driven the militants from significant territories since 2022, the group has proven to be resilient. It continues to control large parts of rural southern and central Somalia and remains capable of launching deadly attacks against military and civilian targets across the country and in neighboring nations like Kenya.
The ongoing executions underscore the Somali state’s determination to project strength, even as it battles to extend its authority and provide security for a population weary of decades of conflict.