... the personification of Somali state failure...and a senior figure in the group's Shura Council had been killed in a joint military operation carried out by Somali security forces with support from international partners after more than a year of intelligence gathering.
At a presser in Mogadishu, Somali Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said the operation was conducted on July 5, 2026, following a 14-month intelligence investigation and surveillance campaign targeting Ibrahim "Moalim Jinaaw".
According to Fiqi, the strike hit a hut inside a farm in the Sabiyo area, between the districts of Afgooye and Basra in the Lower Shabelle region, where the holy warrior leader was staying under the protection of al-Shabaab fighters.
The minister said Ibrahim "Moalim Jinaaw" was one of al-Shabaab's founders and the ninth member of the group's Shura Council, its highest decision-making body.
Fiqi said the commander played a key role in directing the group's military operations, overseeing its extortion network, coordinating attacks and serving as a close senior adviser to al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Diriye, also known as Abu Ubaidah.
He accused Ibrahim "Moalin Jinaaw" of overseeing attacks and abuses in the regions of Bay, Bakool, Hiraan and Galgaduud, including killings, the forced recruitment of children, the seizure of weapons from local communities and the intimidation of traditional elders.
The defence minister said the government confirmed the holy warrior's death through intelligence indicating he had been killed in the strike.
He said the operation was part of Somalia's campaign to target al-Shabaab's big shotship, adding that several top commanders had been killed in recent years and that military operations against the group would continue until all of its big shots were eliminated.
Fiqi congratulated the Somali National Army and the country's security agencies for the operation and thanked international partners for their continued support in the campaign against al-Shabaab.
Dawan Africa has another spelling and adds some details:
Somalia on Monday confirmed the death of senior Al-Shabaab leader Mo’allin Jinaw Ibrahim in an airstrike carried out earlier this month, calling him a long time member of the group's leadership council.Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told a press conference that the strike took place on July 5 after Somali military intelligence tracked Ibrahim for 14 days in an operation conducted with international partners.
According to Fiqi, Ibrahim was killed in Sabiyo village, between the districts of Afgoye and Basra in the Lower Shabelle region, where he was meeting with several Al-Shabaab members at a rural hideout.
The minister said Ibrahim had been a member of Al-Shabaab since its formation and served on the group's Shura Council, which oversees the organisation's strategic decisions. He also described him as a senior adviser to the group's leader, Ahmed Diriye, known as Abu Ubaidah, and said he played a key role in directing military operations, collecting illicit taxes and coordinating recruitment.
Fiqi accused Ibrahim of orchestrating attacks and other activities in the Bay, Bakool, Galgaduud and Hiiraan regions, and said local community leaders in Bay and Bakool had repeatedly called for action against him because of his alleged role in violence and forced recruitment.
The minister said Somali authorities delayed announcing the operation until they had verified Ibrahim's death.