MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – The militant group Al-Shabaab has reshuffled its elite military unit known as Jabha, amid efforts to enhance its operational capabilities and expand into drone-based attacks.
Sources confirm that the group recently removed Yasir Jiis, the long-serving head of Jabha, from his position and reassigned him to the group’s intelligence branch, Amniyat.
The decision was reportedly made by senior Al-Shabaab leader Mahad Karate, also known as Mahad Abdirahman Warsame, a key figure within the group’s Shura Council.
Jabha fighters are among the most highly trained within Al-Shabaab, frequently deployed in attacks on Somali and African Union military bases, government installations, hotels in Mogadishu, and for cross-border operations into Kenya and Ethiopia.
Yasir Jiis, who hails from Galgaduud in central Somalia, is now believed to be leading a covert unit within Amniyat operating in the Sool and Sanaag regions.
He has reportedly been tasked with strengthening the land and maritime smuggling corridors connecting northern Somalia to the country’s south — critical routes Al-Shabaab uses to transport weapons and supplies from Yemen.
Red Sea route to smuggle arms and foreign fighters
Al-Shabaab has long relied on the Sanaag coastline and Red Sea access to smuggle arms and foreign fighters.
A second route via the central town of Harardheere has become less accessible due to intensified counterterror operations and the advance of Galmudug-based clan militias.
A report by a United Nations Panel of Experts published February this year revealed increased cooperation between Al-Shabaab and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Despite historical ideological differences — Al-Shabaab being Sunni and the Houthis Shia — the two have reportedly formed a practical alliance rooted in mutual strategic interests.
Al-Shabaab is said to have sought drone training and technology from the Houthis, aiming to deploy drones for targeted suicide attacks.
In exchange, the Houthis have found a market for illicit arms sales to the Somali group, including ammunition and other military equipment.
The militant group is also linked to a resurgence in piracy off Somalia’s coast, where it collaborates with local pirate networks to hijack commercial vessels for ransom.
These operations are believed to have generated millions of dollars in funding for Al-Shabaab.
The UN report further confirmed that the first wave of Al-Shabaab fighters trained in Yemen returned to Somalia between June and September 2024.
While the exact scope of their training is unclear, sources suggest preparations are underway for the group to operationalize drone-based attacks.
Yasir Jiis is widely believed to be overseeing this initiative, enjoying full confidence from Al-Shabaab’s leadership, particularly Mahad Karate.
Another operative involved is Abdisataar Abdiqaadir Isse — a former Al-Shabaab member who defected to Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) before rejoining the group in August 2023 as confirmed by NISA itself.
Abdisataar Abdiqaadir Isse had previously received drone training from Turkish and U.S.-backed operations in southern Somalia. He is now reportedly helping develop Al-Shabaab’s drone program.
Who Is Yasir Jiis?
Yasir Jiis is believed to be in his early 40s and is a cousin of Somalia’s current Director of the national agency NISA, Mahad Mohamed Salad.
Their fathers are brothers.
In October 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department designated Yasir Jiis as a global terrorist and offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture or killing.
His promotion within Al-Shabaab comes at a politically sensitive time, coinciding with the reappointment of his cousin Mahad Salad as NISA chief — a move made by the Federal Government’s Council of Ministers.
Al-Shabaab’s Mahad Karate, also on the U.S. terror list, is reportedly a family relative of Mahad Salad as well.
In 2023, two of Karate’s relatives — a boy and a girl — were released from detention in Mogadishu, reportedly with intervention from Mahad Salad.