NISA and International Partners Kill 33 Al-Shabaab in Two-Phase Precision Raid on Guulane, Middle Shabelle

Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), acting with unnamed international partners consistent with AFRICOM-enabled operations, conducted a two-phase precision strike on Guulane village in Middle Shabelle region on April 22, 2026, killing at least 33 Al-Shabaab fighters and destroying a 'cabdi-bile' technical pickup truck. In the first strike, targeting a residence housing senior commanders and foot soldiers, 15 fighters were killed and the facility destroyed. A follow-up phase killed at least 18 additional militants. Intelligence reportedly indicated that approximately 90 Al-Shabaab fighters had assembled at Guulane to plan a fresh wave of attacks against government-held positions in Middle Shabelle — the region that has been a key front in the SNA's Operation Bader offensive since 2022. The scale of the Guulane raid (33 confirmed killed) makes it one of the largest single-operation intelligence-led operations in Middle Shabelle in 2026. It comes three days after Al-Shabaab's April 19 seizure of Adan Yabal in neighboring Hiiraan Region — a setback that demonstrated the insurgency's capacity for coordinated counter-offensive operations. The Guulane strike illustrates the dual nature of Somalia's security posture: Al-Shabaab can seize district capitals while simultaneously planning further attacks in adjacent regions, requiring simultaneous offensive and defensive operations by the SNA and its international partners. The April 22 operation confirms continued US intelligence support to NISA even as the political transition crisis deepens.