Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu was yet again the victim of a brazen terrorist attack conducted by Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa. Yesterday, at least seven Shabaab gunmen stormed the Godka Jilacow prison, operated by Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), freeing dozens of prisoners and holding the facility for several hours. The assault represents another intelligence failure by government authorities regarding the jihadist group.
Much like other Shabaab assaults on military outposts and security facilities, yesterday’s attack began with a suicide car bomb on the prison’s main gate before gunmen entered the facility and attacked guards, freed prisoners, and took control of the prison. According to the Somali government, the suicide car bomb utilized a truck disguised as a NISA vehicle, while the Shabaab militants were dressed as Somali security personnel.
Exact figures from the raid are scarce. Dozens of prisoners are believed to have escaped, though some were later recaptured. Security casualties also remain unclear, but fatalities are expected given the scale and duration of the attack, with Somali security forces only regaining control over the facility early Sunday morning.
Shabaab was quick to claim the prison assault, releasing a statement online claiming it was part of an operation dubbed “Support for the Oppressed” and that the explicit goal was to “free all the Muslim prisoners the apostates had been holding and torturing there.” The statement also confirmed the use of a suicide bombing, marking at least the 22nd such bombing in Somalia so far this year, according to data compiled by FDD’s Long War Journal.
Shabaab has a history of using disguised operatives to infiltrate security facilities, such as earlier this year, when a suicide bomber detonated himself during a Somali army recruitment drive. That Shabaab was able to utilize not only NISA uniforms but also a vehicle disguised as one of the agency’s represents a significant intel failure and only further exemplifies the ability of Shabaab to infiltrate deep into Somalia’s security agencies.
The Al Qaeda branch also has a long history of prison breaks and assaults. Last year, Shabaab inmates in Mogadishu’s Central Prison staged a revolt in an attempt to escape. In 2021, Shabaab freed hundreds of prisoners after raiding Bosaso’s central prison in northern Somalia. In 2020, Shabaab inmates mounted a revolt in Mogadishu’s Central Prison, while in 2017, the group detonated a suicide car bomb outside the prison’s walls in another attempt to free prisoners.
The assault on the Godka Jilacow prison also came just hours after the Somali government lifted security restrictions on over 50 roads in Mogadishu to show that the capital is now safer. It is so far unclear if this easing of restrictions had anything to do with the prison assault—it is likely just a coincidence—but the move further highlights the city’s remaining security concerns and Shabaab’s lingering ability to deeply penetrate Mogadishu’s security installations.
Importance of jihadist prison breaks
Jailbreaks can often be a boon for jihadist groups, including Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and others. In addition to the significant propaganda value of such operations, these incidents can swell ranks, reinforce capabilities by freeing more highly trained individuals, and provide groups with a new sense of direction after springing leaders and key personnel.
It is for these reasons that jailbreaks are specifically a major part of the Islamic State’s overall global strategy, for example, and are often called for by the group’s central leadership as part of its long-term “Breaking the Walls” policy that originated during the Iraq War.
In recent years, the Islamic State has mounted significant prison breaks in northeastern Syria, eastern Afghanistan, just outside of Nigeria’s capital city of Abuja, across Central Asia, and twice in eastern Congo in the cities of Beni and Butembo. Several of these incidents came after Islamic State leaders publicly called for such operations.
Al Qaeda has also placed increased emphasis on its cadres launching prison breaks, particularly in Africa. For example, between 2018 and 2020, Al Qaeda’s Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), its official branch in West Africa, launched several prison breaks in Mali and Burkina Faso. These operations garnered explicit praise from Al Qaeda’s General Command (its overall global leadership), which also told JNIM to continue such attempts.
Shabaab’s statement about yesterday’s prison assault in Mogadishu spoke to the ideological importance of such operations, saying:
[The assault] targeted the enemy’s main artery and resulted in the liberation of Muslim prisoners who had been subjected to injustice and oppression at the hands of the apostates. Today, they have returned free to their families and regions. […] [The military leadership] asks God to accept the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to uphold the word of God, eradicate polytheism and disbelief from the earth, and support the oppressed Muslims suffering in the prisons of the Crusaders and apostates.
As jihadi leaders from both the Islamic State and Al Qaeda continue to call for such operations, prison assaults and mutinies will likely continue.
