Pistol wielding assailants have shot dead Abdirahman Ibrahim Moaw tonight in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

A former provincial governor of Somalia’s Hiiraan province, the victim was gunned down as he exited a mosque in the city’s Wadajir district shortly after Isha prayer.

According to witnesses, Abdirahman Ibrahim sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body after being stuck in a hail of bullets. The culprits that carried out the attack escaped on foot moments after the brazen assassination.

Abdirahman is said to have died instantly. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks as of yet.

Background. 

Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow was a former official in Somalia’s short lived Islamic Courts Union (ICU). During the six-month rule of the Islamic Courts Union, Abdirahman Ibrahim was the ICU appointed governor of the Hiiraan province of Somalia.

Following the US led Ethiopian invasion, which toppled the Islamic Courts Union, Abdirahman Ibrahim joined one of the many armed factions and resistance movements that rose from the ashes of the ill-fated invasion after the Islamic Courts Union where ousted from power.

Photo : Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow

Abdirahman joined the ranks of Hizbul Islam, a rebel-group that waged a bloody insurgency and guerilla war against US backed Ethiopian troops in Somalia.

However, Abdirahman’s stint with Hizbul Islam was short lived and he soon made his way to Nairobi, Kenya where he lived for a number of years according to family members privy to the matter that spoke with Halgan Media on condition of anonymity.

He eventually returned to Somalia, often keeping a low profile. Prior to his death tonight, the late Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow recently announced his candidacy to become a member of parliament (MP) in Somalia’s Lower House of parliament, with elections currently under way.

It’s not clear if his political aspirations where the reason for his assassination. The local Somali based insurgent group, Al-Shabaab routinely carries out assassinations targeting those in government and those aspiring to hold government positions, including members of parliament (MP).

Circumstances Surrounding Assassination.

The Wadajir district of Mogadishu has been plagued by numerous bombings and killings over the years. It was just four days ago when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at a restaurant often frequented by government forced, leaving four dead and 10 others wounded. 

Therefore, incidents of violence of any shape or form are not new to Mogadishu’s Wadajir district, however the assassination of Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow raises many questions.

Abdirahman Ibrahim was gunned down shortly after exiting a local mosque upon completing Isha prayer (nightly prayer), meaning the attackers had to know about his itinerary prior to carrying out the assassination.

Furthermore, there had to be a level of reconnaissance/surveillance done prior to his death in order to know where and when to strike. This in itself has all the hallmarks of the Amniyat wing of Al Shabaab. (The intelligence wing of Al Shabaab).

The Amniyat wing are responsible for Al Shabaab’s intelligence operations and the sole actors that gather intel on targets prior to any attack being conducted. This includes assaults on government buildings, up-scale hotels and targeted assassinations of individuals, no matter who they may-be.

As of yet Al Shabaab are yet to claim responsibility for his assassination but if they are responsible they’ll mor than likely claim responsibility within the next 24 hours as done-so in the past, regarding similar high profile killings.

Over the years, Al Shabaab have targeted numerous former senior members of the now-defunct Islamic Courts Union and its successor, the Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia and often times have succeeded in neutralizing there targets.

Case in point being the assassination of Colonel Omar Hashi in 2009 and the assassination of General Gobaale in 2016. In the next 24 hours more should be known on the actor(s) that carried out the tragic murder of Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow.

UPDATE : January 23rd 2022 (9:40 am) 

Al Shabaab fighters have claimed responsibility for last night’s assassination of Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow as of 6:25 am local time today in Somalia, per local media reports.

According to a statement released on the pro-militant website dubbed Somali Memo, Al-Shabaab have taken credit for the overnight assassination of Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow. The insurgent group accused the now-deceased victim of working with the government of former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. 

Furthermore, the statement published on Somali Memo stated that the murder of Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma’ow was linked to his decision to announce his candidacy to become a member of parliament (MP), with the assassination of Abdirahman Ibrahim coming just a mere couple of days after he publicized his intentions to run for a parliamentarian position.

The speed in which Al-Shabaab where able to track down and assassinate the former Islamist leader speaks volumes on how intricate and highly advanced the intelligence network of Al-Shabaab really is, with the Somali government unable to deter, let alone actually stop these senseless killings carried out by the insurgent group. 

Halgan Media