Somalia– Somali president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo has been facing criticism over “inappropriate” investigation into the shocking disappearance and killing of former National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) officer Ikran Tahlil Farah. Born in Kenya, the 24-year-old intelligence officer disappeared under mysterious circumstances on June 26 2021 near the Mogandishu-based headquarters of the headquarters.
Even as the NISA has been accusing Al-Shabaab militia over the disappearance and killing of their agent, the group has consistently refused any participation in the matter. She was appointed into Somalia’s intelligence agency in 2017 where she was provided access to quite sensitive information regarding the unethical works of president Farmaajo and his close alies in the system. The data included information related to repression of opposing voices, blackmale and assassinations led by Farmaajo and his administration.
Knowing all these, Tahlil began to resent the apparatus and fled the country to the United Kingdom for higher studies. However, media reports suggested that the then NISA Director Fahad Yasin did not approve of Ikran’s plans to leave the country and move to Britain. Threatened by the information accessed by Ikran related to his and Farmaajo’s dirty work, Yasin employed various tactics to bring her back to the country.
As a close ally to president Farmaajo, Yasin also allegedly coordinated with the Qatari regime and Somali terrorist groups to transfer funds and intelligence information during his tenure as the NISA director. Media reports also suggested that Yasin was involved in the planned kidnapping and torture of Tahlil upon her return to Somalia. As per informed sources, Ikran Tahlil faced days of psychological and physical abuse including multiple rape attempts when she was in custody. All this torture eventually led to her death, the report alleged.
In view of Fahad Yasin’s alleged involvement in Tahlil’s kidnapping and death, reports have indicated Somali leadership’s hidden agenda behind the incident. Significantly, Farmaajo’s allies in the system have been trying to safeguard Yasin by rejecting any claims of interfering the probe. Farmaajo and his allies have also been trying to cover up the investigation to find Tahlil’s killers.
After Yasin incompetency in conducting a fair and just probe into Tahlil’s killing, Somali prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble decided to sack the former spy chief. He was given 48 hours to present a proper report into the investigation, however, Yasin denied to produce a defined report.
Meanwhile, Tahlil’s parents are convinced of Fahad Yasin’s involvement in the missing of their daughter. A petition has been filed against Yasin in Somalia’s military tribunal court, calling on the authority to ensure an appropriate and robust investigation into the matter. The incident gained international attention with the United Nations and the African Union Mission in Somalia among other institutions demanding the Somali government to conduct a credible investigation into Tahlil’s unprecedented disappearance and killing.