Mastermind of March 18 Attack on President Hassan Sheikh’s Convoy Killed in NISA Operation

Senior Al-Shabaab Commander Killed in Lower Shabelle Operation

MOGADISHU, Sept 9, 2025 – Somali security forces announced Tuesday that senior Al-Shabaab commander Mohamed Abdi Dhiblawe, the mastermind of the March 18 attack targeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy in Mogadishu, has been killed.

The operation, carried out jointly by the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and international partners in Ugunji village, Lower Shabelle region, eliminated Dhiblawe and another associate who were traveling in a Noah vehicle. According to officials, Dhiblawe had also orchestrated several other deadly bombings and coordinated plots that endangered civilians across Somalia.

NISA hailed the strike as a significant blow to Al-Shabaab’s leadership structure and pledged to release further details about the mission. “The mastermind behind the Ceel-Gaabta attack that targeted the President’s convoy has been neutralized in a planned operation,” the agency said in its official statement.