Somali Cabinet dismisses army chief, endorses new commander

Somalia's Cabinet on Thursday dismissed Somali National Army (SNA) Chief Maj. Gen. Odowa Yusuf Rageh and unanimously endorsed Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Mohamed Mohamud as the new army commander, according to an official statement.

The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting in the capital, Mogadishu, Information Minister Daud Aweis said in a statement.

The move is expected to advance military modernization and sustain progress in Somalia's counterterrorism efforts, Aweis explained.

The new army commander, a graduate of a military academy in Türkiye, previously served as head of the General Support Command and was appointed to that post by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in 2024.

The leadership change comes as Somali forces continue intensified operations against the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab in the country's southern and central regions.

According to the defense minister, more than 120 terrorists, including six senior combat commanders, were killed during two weeks of clashes with the group in the Middle Shabelle region.

Separately, Somalia's National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said Tuesday that a senior al-Shabaab commander was killed in an airstrike targeting the group in the town of Kuunyo Barrow in the Lower Shabelle region.

The agency identified the militant as Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Osoble, also known as "Abdullahi Wadaad," describing him as al-Shabaab's chief finance officer responsible for overseeing extortion and managing illicit funds extracted from civilians.

The terrorist group has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, frequently targeting security forces, government officials, and civilians.

Since July last year, the Somali army, with support from the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners, has stepped up operations against al-Shabaab.

The UN Security Council renewed AUSSOM's mandate in December for another year, extending its authorization until Dec. 31, 2026, under a UK-backed resolution.