Intelligence Chief Gen Tuuryare to appear before Parliament over security lapses
National Intelligence Service Agency, NISA chief Gen Abdirahman Tuuryare is Saturday appearing before parliament to respond to questions from the House following several security lapses in the city and the country at large in the last few months.
General Tuuryare’s appearance in the House comes in the wake of deadly attacks in the Mogadishu and other parts of the country carried out by the militant group Al-Shabaab. At least 20 people were killed in the SYL Hotel attack on February 26 and another 20 lives lost and 40 were injured at the Liddo Beach restaurant bomb attack in January 21. Both incidents were in Mogadishu.
Barely a week ago on February 29, another heinous attack hit football fans in the South West State capital of Baidabo south of Mogadishu killing 30 and injuring 61 others.
Dallo airline attack
Parliament started grilling senior government officials including the security minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed and Prime Minister Omar Sharmake following the botched airline attack in February 2nd targeting a commercial airliner Dallo. A man who sneaked in a bomb laden laptop was sucked out of the plane when the bomb went off about 30 minutes after takeoff forcing the plane to revert to Aden Adde Airport for emergency landing.
There have been concerns about the intelligence chief’s capacity to provide actionable intelligence after several killings especially in Mogadishu with no reports of arrests and prosecution. Former defence minister Muhidin Mohamed Haji was killed in a car bomb mid last month and several other killings have occurred in the city since the beginning of the year.
The government announced last month it was delegating the security of Mogadishu to the local administration in a move to arrest the runaway murders. The police were also moved from the Security portfolio to that of Interior Ministry.