Three Al-Shabaab suspects arrested in security swoop in Mogadishu

At least three Al-Shabaab members were captured in a security operation by National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in the capital and its environs, officials said Saturday.

The security forces carried out the operation in collaboration with AMISOM forces, raided several houses to flush out Al-Shabaab suspects.

Abdikamil Mo’allim Shukri, Ministry of internal security spokesman told reporters that the security forces had targeted the militants during the operation conducted on Friday.

“We detained over 250 people during major operations. We knew that some of them were planning to wage attacks against the population of Mogadishu,” Shukri said.

He added, “Among those arrested,  three were identified as Al-Shabaab members and the rest were freed.”

Witnesses told Goobjoog News that the Friday’s dawn operation carried out at villages in Mogadishu’s Hilwa, Wadajier. Waberi and Hamar-Jajab districts by the allied troops searched houses suspected to be hiding Al-Shabaab sympathizers.

The spokesman said the operation was well-orchestrated and came after a tip-off from members of the public, noting it was meant to beef up the security in the capital which has been experiencing terror attacks in the recent past.

“There is cooperation between the security forces and the residents and that help us to continue efforts to enhance the security,” he added.

Residents said government and African Union peacekeeping troops with heavily armed arrived at Waberi and Hamar Jajab districts and combed several houses in the villages to help flush out remnants of the Al-Shabaab members.

“They conducted a house-to-house search and arrested several people from our district,” a resident Hassan Aftin told Goobjoog.

The Somali security forces backed by the Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops have increased operations to flush out insurgents from the restive Mogadishu and its environs.