Ahmed Shire, a soldier in the Somali National Army, was killed on the outskirts of the El-baraf district in the Middle Shabelle region after an armed group ambushed him and two other soldiers accompanying him.
According to information regarding the incident, the three soldiers were on leave at the time and were traveling to the Hiiran region to visit their families. The armed group captured all of them but later released the other two soldiers.
While in the custody of the armed group, a video was recorded of him pleading for his life; the footage reveals his dire situation, showing him sick, hungry, and explaining that he was on his way to his family.
“Please don’t kill me; I am traveling to my family for medical reasons,” he said in the video. Elder Osman Mohamud strongly condemned the killing, stating that the incident reflects the escalating violence rooted in revenge and clan disputes.
“These heinous incidents have become recurrent. What drives this cycle is the disregard for the law,” the elder said in an interview with Goobjoog. He urged the Somali government to take firm action against killings linked to clan vendettas and to ensure that those accused of such acts are genuinely brought to justice.
Similarly, MP Malik Abdalla of the House of the People extended his condolences to the soldier’s family and the National Army, describing the killing as “unjust and shocking.” The MP called on the Federal Government—specifically the leadership of the National Army—to apprehend the suspects and bring them before the law.
He also urged the soldier’s family and other parties involved to refrain from acts of revenge or harming civilians. “It is deeply unfortunate that a soldier from the National Army was killed, and that the incident was filmed to be boasted about,” the MP said.
The MP demanded that the government provide a response within 24 hours—one that satisfies the public—and take legal action against those accused of the killing. So far, neither the Federal Government of Somalia nor the National Army command has officially commented on the details of Ahmed Shire’s killing. The killing of this soldier has revived memories of previous killings involving Somali National Army soldiers in the El-baraf area
