MOGADISHU, Somalia – In one of the most daring attacks in recent months, Al-Shabaab militants on Saturday stormed a heavily fortified National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) detention facility in Mogadishu, commonly known as Godka Jila’ow.
The assault began with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonating at the facility’s entrance, followed by an intense gunfire exchange as Al-Shabaab fighters attempted to force their way into the compound. The interrogation center, located just a few meters from Villa Somalia—the seat of the Federal Government—houses some of the country’s most high-profile detainees, including captured insurgents.
According to security sources, the attack lasted nearly six hours, with American-trained Gashaan special forces leading the counter-assault that ultimately neutralized the attackers. Several bodies of the militants were recovered from the scene, though the exact number of casualties among civilians remains unclear. At least two government soldiers were reported killed during the firefight.
The incident occurred only hours after Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, in coordination with the Banadir Regional Administration, had announced the removal of several security barriers and checkpoints across the capital—asserting that Mogadishu was now “100% safe.”
Analysts view the timing of the assault as a direct message from Al-Shabaab, aimed at undermining the government’s recent claims of improved security and demonstrating the group’s continued ability to strike at the heart of the Somali capital.
Emergency teams and security forces have since cordoned off the area as investigations continue into how militants were able to reach one of the country’s most secure intelligence facilities.
