By Dawan Africa - -
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Adam Abdullahi Ibrahim (Dhagajun), also known as Muhsin, Cukaash, the head of Al-Shabaab’s finance department, was killed in an airstrike near the southern Somali town of Jilib on Sunday night, according to information obtained by Dawan Africa.
The strike occurred at about 7:50 p.m. in the Kawaanka area of Jilib, Middle Juba region. Dhagajun was travelling in a white Toyota Probox when the vehicle was targeted, sources familiar with the incident said.
There has been no official statement from the Somali government or its international partners on the operation. Al-Shabaab has also not commented on the reported death of the senior official.
Dhagajun, believed to have been in his 50s and originally from the Gedo region, received his early education in Kenya. He held several financial positions within Al-Shabaab in Middle Juba, Lower Juba and Gedo before being appointed to oversee the group’s finances nationally. He was regarded as a close associate of Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Diriye.
Dhagajun took over the portfolio following the death of Abdullahi Hassan Abdi Cosoble, also known as Abdullahi Wadaad, who was killed in an operation in Kuunya Barrow, Lower Shabelle, on Jan. 23, 2026.
Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency announced Wadaad’s death four days later, saying he had overseen extortion and the collection of illegal taxes from businesses and civilians in Lower Shabelle and Banadir.
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Within Al-Shabaab, the official overseeing the portfolio is known as the financial emir and heads the maktab, or office, responsible for the group’s finances. U.S. Treasury designations have also used the term for senior Al-Shabaab officials responsible for finance and zakat, or taxation.
The finance portfolio is considered one of the group’s most sensitive positions. Its head oversees revenue generated through taxes and levies and is understood to require the confidence of Diriye, also known as Abu Ubaidah.
Dhagajun’s reported death makes him the second Al-Shabaab finance chief killed within seven months, following Wadaad’s death in January.
Senior commanders are reported to have increasingly restricted their movements and communications amid targeted operations.
Al-Shabaab has faced growing pressure from Somali government forces and their international partners in recent years, although the group continues to carry out attacks and remains active across parts of southern and central Somalia.