MOGADISHU, Somalia (Horn Life) – A senior Al-Shabaab commander killed in a recent U.S.-backed raid was behind a 2023 massacre of over 20 civilians on a Somali highway, a leader of the pro-government Macawisley militia said Monday, calling the death a major victory for local communities.
Ali Ahmed Guure, known as “Qoyane,” was killed in a targeted operation in Mabaax village, spanning Somalia’s Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle regions, the Somali federal government said. The raid, described as “planned and successful,” eliminated a key figure in the Islamist group’s operations in central Somalia, where it has long targeted nomads and travelers.
Ali Jeyte Cismaan, a presidential advisor on militia affairs and a prominent Macawisley leader, told BBC Somali that Qoyane orchestrated the Sept. 3, 2023, ambush between Maxaas and Beledweyne. Initially attributed to Al-Shabaab, the attack that killed more than 20 civilians and burned vehicles was a deliberate plot to divide the Hawadle clan in Hiiraan and fuel ethnic tensions, Jeyte said.“The victims were all from the same community.
The plan was to split people apart, create hatred and distrust among them,” Jeyte said. “Qoyane terrorized civilians, especially nomads and travelers, and was notorious for the suffering he caused.”Qoyane, an Al-Shabaab member for over a decade, was sentenced to death in absentia by a Somali military court in 2019 for a bombing that killed Maxaas’ deputy mayor. Jeyte said the highway massacre became the “main spark” for a broad uprising against Al-Shabaab in Hiiraan, rallying thousands of locals and clan fighters.“The war started in August 2022, but that attack unified the community.
They saw the enemy has no mercy,” Jeyte said. The uprising, initially focused in Hiiraan, later spread to other regions, dealing heavy blows to Al-Shabaab, though the group has since reclaimed some areas.
Jeyte hailed Qoyane’s death as a “great triumph,” saying locals viewed it as “relief and a fresh start — an enemy gone.” He emphasized the fight is not political but a defense of “our lives, our land and our future.”The government called Qoyane a “bloodthirsty” figure responsible for widespread atrocities in Hiiraan, vowing to escalate operations against Al-Shabaab. The raid highlights growing coordination between Somali forces, local militias and international allies, including U.S. airstrikes that have killed dozens of militants in the region this year.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida affiliate controlling parts of rural Somalia, has faced setbacks from the government’s “Operation Black Lion” launched in 2022 but continues to carry out ambushes and bombings. The group has not commented on Qoyane’s death.
Further Reading / Source:
Who is “Qoyane,” the Al-Shabaab commander killed by pro-government Macawisley militia in Somalia — Garowe Online
