MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s prime minister Mohamed Hussein Roble is weighing to sack the country’s powerful intelligence chief for his alleged role in the killing of a female spy, a scandal that has sparked outrage in the war-torn Horn of Africa nation.
The prime minister held talks with key government officials, traditional leaders and regional presidents about the possibility of removing the spy chief Fahad Yasin, one of the country’s most powerful politician who continues to enjoy direct support from Qatar’s government, an official at the prime minister’s office told Somaliguardian on Saturday.
Mr Roble may announce the dismissal of the spy chief within the next 48 hours after consultations with political figures, government officials and traditional leaders are complete, the official added, asking not to be named for fear of being identified.
It comes after the Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab distanced itself from the murder of the female spy agent, hours after the Somali Intelligence Agency blamed the group for the woman’s death.
The young female spy Ikran Tahlil’s mother called the agency’s assertion as a “smokescreen” and said Fahad Yasin and other NISA officials were behind the kidnapping of her daughter, who has been missing since late June, after being called for an evening meeting by intelligence boss.
Tensions have been high in central Somalia’s Baladwayne town since Friday following the agency’s claim that the young female spy was dead and a militia group abducted several men who belong to Mr Yasin’s clan, but efforts aimed to free them have gathered pace immediately to prevent tribal confrontations.
The leader of Wadajir opposition party Abdirahman Abdishakur called on the prime minister to dismiss Mr Yasin, order a thorough probe into his alleged role in the murder of Ikran Tahlil and restrict his movement.
There were reports that the president Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, who finds Mr Yasin an indispensable ally and the prime minister met on Friday night to discuss steps to be taken to calm tensions over the scandalous murder.
Fahad Yasin’s ex-deputy said on Friday that the spy chief is planning to arrest an officer in charge of the notorious Jilo’ow Prison in Mogadishu in an effort to clear himself of any involvement in Ikran’s disappearance, a claim Somaliguardian has not been able to verify independently.
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