Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallin Fiqi has strongly responded to statements made by the former director of the National Security and Intelligence Agency (NISA), Abdullahi Mohamed Ali (Sanbaloolshe), in an interview with Shabelle Television.
In the interview, Sanbaloolshe accused Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of wanting to kill him during a government attack on a location where he, former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, the chief of the Mursade clan and other traditional elders were.
Speaking at an event in the town of Beledweyne, Minister Fiqi described the statements as baseless and accused Sanbaloolshe of having previously participated in acts that jeopardized security.
The minister said that the individuals he was referring to Sanbaloolshe were involved in mortar attacks in Mogadishu, noting that one of the shells landed a short distance from the city’s fuel tanks, which he said could have caused a major disaster.
Fiqi also said that the government has information about support and funding received from abroad by the individuals he accuses, adding that weapons not intended for the public have fallen into their hands.
The minister argued that the government has prevented plans that undermined security, and that the people he accuses are now trying to portray themselves as victims.
