National Intelligence and Security Agency (Somalia)

The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) (Somali: Hay'ada Sirdoonka iyo Nabadsugida Qaranka (وكالة المخابرات والأمن الوطنية) )(HSNQ))[1] is the national intelligence agency of the Federal Republic of Somalia. It is headquartered in Mogadishu. The NISA is also closely intertwined with the Somali Armed Forces and regularly cooperates with them.

National Intelligence and Security Agency
Hay'ada Sirdoonka iyo Nabadsugida Qaranka
وكالة المخابرات والأمن الوطنية
Seal of the National Intelligence and Security Agency
Intelligence agency overview
Preceding Intelligence agency
Jurisdiction Somalia
HeadquartersMogadishu, Somalia
EmployeesClassified
Annual budgetClassified
Intelligence agency executive
Parent department Ministry of Justice

The agency was established in January 2013 by the new Federal Government of Somalia in place of the defunct National Security Service.[2][3]

The agency is assisted by the African Union Mission in Somalia.[2][3] According to the former Minister of State for the Presidency Abdulkadir Moallin Noor, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency also provided training to NISA officials during the latter agency's formative stages.[4]

NISA personnel have conducted security operations against Al-Shabaab elements in the capital.[5]

Counterterrorism and paramilitary forces

In April 2014, the United Arab Emirates donated several battle wagons and other equipment to NISA.[6] By July 2014, the Gaashaan ("Shield") unit was being reported as part of the National Intelligence and Security Agency.[7] It is a commando force trained by the United States. NISA associates indicate that Gaashaan consists of two units totaling 120 men.[8]

Alpha Group is Gaashan's first component, and includes around 40 soldiers and 3 officers who were chosen from amongst 190 special Somali National Army troops. According to Somali defense officials, this unit received training in the United States between late 2009 and early 2010. Derek Gannon said that the Alpha Group's training regimen includes counter-insurgency, counter-terror operation and executive-protecting, with an emphasis on quick reaction in an urban environment. The soldiers are also equipped with guns with night-vision scopes.[8]

Gaashaan's second counter-terrorism unit is the Bravo Group. It received training at the Aden Adde International Airport (Mogadishu Airport) in 2011.[8]

Abdullah Mohamed Ali "Sanbaloolshe" an elected MP of the national lower house of parliament, the House of the People, was on April 6, 2017 reappointed to the position of NISA Director General.[9]

In May 2018 it was reported that the SNIS has grown to 700 personnel, with the Waran having 300 personnel and Gaashaan roughly 400.[10]

Criticisms

In January 2020, Dr Mohamed Haji Ingiriis, Research Fellow at the African Leadership Centre, King's College London, wrote in African Affairs that NISA 'normalize[s] extrajudicial activities to serve the agenda of political authorities and to suppress their critics.'[11] In an article published by African Security Review in July 2020, he blamed 'an externally-imposed security architecture' for NISA's failure to counter Al Shabaab.[12] According to Ali, since Yasin was appointed to head NISA operations have focussed on silencing political opposition and criticism rather than overcoming Al Shabaab.[13]

Harassment of women in Gedo

There have been allegations by women from the Gedo region, of arbitrary detention, torture and rape, against NISA officers from the regional office in Gedo, Jubaland, which was commanded by Abdullahi Aadam (Kulane Jiis) at the time.[14]

Harun Maruf

In April 2020 NISA was accused of intimidation and harassment of Harun Maruf, a journalist who works with Voice of America, through Twitter.[15] No viable evidence was produced by the said Journalist. His own credentials were placed in the fray where he "blindly parroted propaganda" from the then opposition leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Sacking of top officials

In July 2021 Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Roble dismissed head of NISA at Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle Airport Abdiwahab Sheikh Ali and NISA Chief of staff, Abdullahi Kulane after they refused to allow a group of passengers to fly from Mogadishu airport.[16] { This move was widely agreed to be unconstitutional. Stated in the " Powers of the President" section of the constitution.}

Abduction of Ikran Tahlil Farah
Main article: Disappearance of Ikran Tahlil Farah

On 26 June 2021, NISA employee Ikran Tahlil Farah was abducted close to her home in Abdulaziz district of Mogadishu.[17][18] NISA published a statement on 2 September, 2021 claiming that Ikran had been handed to Al Shabaab, who it claimed had then killed her, but Al Shabaab denied any involvement.[19] Prime Minister Roble asked Director Gerneral of NISA, Fahad Yasin to submit a report on Ikran's death. Roble suspended Yasin due to his failure to submit the report,[20] replacing him with Lt.Gen. Bashir Mohamed Jama,[21] but the decision was overturned by President Mohamed[22] on the grounds of it being unconstitutional.[23] Roble accused Mohamed of “obstructing effective investigation of Ikran’s case”.[24] Somalia's international partners called for a 'credible investigation of Ikran’s disappearance'.[25] Ikran's mother, Qali Mohamud Gahaad filed charges at the military court, against Fahad Yasin, Abdullahi Kulane, Abdikani Wadna-Qabad and Yasin Faray in relation to the disappearance of her daughter.[26]

On 8 September 2021, Villa Somalia announced that Fahad Yasin had resigned as head of NISA, however subsequently Mohamed appointed him as his National Security Advisor appointing Yasin Abdullahi as head of NISA.[27] However, Roble had re-appointed Bashir Mohamed Jama to the position.[28]

Equipment
Origin Notes
Toyota Hilux Japan Japan All NISA personnel Hiluxes are black with "NISA" written on the hood in white stencil, also the standard infantry transport vehicle
Casspir South Africa South Africa NISA Casspirs have black "NISA" lettering.
Origin Type Notes
Makarov pistol Soviet Union Soviet Union Pistol
AK-47[29]  Soviet Union Assault Rifle Standard issue rifle of the Somali Armed Forces along with other AK-47 Variants. ACOG scopes and Picatinny rails, laser sights.
AKM[30]  Soviet Union Assault Rifle
AK74 Soviet UnionSoviet Union Assault Rifle Used by NISA special forces units Gaashaan and Waran.[31] and DANAB commandos.[32] AKS-74 variant. ACOG scopes and picanilly rails, laser sights.
vz. 58[33]  Czech Republic Assault Rifle
M4 carbine  United States Assault Rifle
Type 56 Assault Rifle[34]  People's Republic of China Assault Rifle Secondary Service Rifle in the SNA, ACOG scopes and picanilly rails, laser sights and foregrips.
Dragunov sniper rifle[35][36]  Soviet Union Marksman Rifle PSO-1 scope.
MPT-76  Turkey Assault Rifle 450 Delivered[37]

See also

Notes
  1. "NISA (@HSNQ_NISA) on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  3. "PRESS RELEASE: AU Special Representative reaffirms AMISOM's continued support to the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA)" (PDF). African Union. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  4. "CIA using secret Somalia facility, prison: report". AFP. 12 July 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. "Somalia: Mogadishu security operation nets 27 Al Shabaab members". Garowe Online. Garowe Online. 30 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-20. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  6. "UAE efforts vital to future of Somalia". The National. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  7. Pugliese, David (20 July 2014). "Somali-Canadian leads new counter-terrorism force". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  8. Dan Joseph, Harun Maruf (31 July 2014). "US-Trained Somali Commandos Fight Al-Shabab". VOA. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  9. Dubbad, Abdirashid (6 April 2017). "Sanbaloolshe oo loo magacaabay Taliyaha NISA & Duqa Muqdisho oo xilka laga qaaday | RADIO RISAALA". radiorisaala.com. Retrieved 2017-07-20.
  10. "Exclusive: Massive military base buildup suggests the U.S. Shadow war in Somalia is only getting bigger".
  11. Ingiriis, Mohamed Haji (22 January 2020). "Predatory politics and personalization of power: The abuses and misuses of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Somalia". African Affairs. 119 (475): 251–254. doi:10.1093/afraf/adz027.
  12. Ingiriis, Mohamed Haji (28 July 2020). "Insurgency and international extraversion in Somalia: the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and Al-Shabaab's Amniyat". African Security Review. 29 (2): 125–151. doi:10.1080/10246029.2020.1740752. S2CID 221098111.
  13. Ali, Abdullahi Mohamed (2020-06-22). "Somalia Must Save Itself from Qatar". The National Interest. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  14. "Somalia's spy agency linked to harassment of women in Gedo". Garowe Online. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  15. "Everything you need to know about human rights in Somalia 2020". Amnesty International. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  16. Khalif, Abdulkadir (2021-07-25). "Somalia: Somali PM Sacks Top Intelligence Officials". allAfrica.com. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  17. "Case of missing spy aggravates tensions among fractious Somali leadership". the Guardian. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  18. "Dead agent got Fahad Yasin's call for a job before she disappeared-court filings". Goobjoog News English. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  19. "Al-Shabab Denies Killing Somali Security Agency Employee | Voice of America - English". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  20. "Somali intelligence chief's firing could be great news for Horn of Africa". American Enterprise Institute - AEI. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  21. "Somalia's PM Roble wins more support for sacking NISA boss Fahad Yasin". Garowe Online. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  22. "Spy's Death Exposes New Faultline in Somalia Before Elections". Bloomberg.com. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  23. "Somali premier suspends intelligence chief; president objects". Reuters. 2021-09-06. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
  24. "Somalia on edge as president, PM clash over intelligence chief". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  25. "International Partners Urge Somali Leaders to Reduce Political Tensions and Focus on Electoral Process - Somalia". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  26. "Somalia: Family files lawsuit against Ex-NISA boss, Fahad over murder". hornobserver.com. 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  27. "Farmaajo changes tune, appoints another spy chief as PM Roble accuses him of sabotage". Garowe Online. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  28. "Somalia's PM Roble wins more support for sacking NISA boss Fahad Yasin". Garowe Online. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  29. Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition (27 January 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
  30. AfricaNews (9 May 2017). "Several soldiers killed in al Shabaab attack on Somali army base – Africanews". africanews.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  31. NISA (2016-01-23). "HSNQ_NISA Director General with his Elite Gaashaan & Waran, We will defend our ppl, #TweetLiidoPicturespic.twitter.com/MsZeyfukIX". @HSNQ_NISA. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  32. TP 🤟🏻 (2018-03-24). "Somali Army SOF operators #DANABpic.twitter.com/QphsTHOC1O". @tacticalporn. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  33. "Daawo Sawirada: Qaabka ay Ciidamada Puntland ula wareegen Qandala". caasimada.net. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  34. Charbonneau, Louis (10 October 2014). "Exclusive: Somalia army weapons sold on open market – U.N. monitors". Reuters. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  35. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  36. "Somali daily News – Meydadka Askar Itoobiyaan ah oo lagu soo bandhigay Gobolka Galgaduud+SAWIRO". shinganinews.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  37. "Turkish Firms Receive Orders to Manufacture 45000 Locally-made MPT-76 Rifles". defenseworld.net. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.

References
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