Latest news with #NISS
Russia Today
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
African state arrests dozens of suspected IS militants
Ethiopia has arrested dozens of suspected Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) militants accused of plotting attacks across the country, state broadcaster Fana reported on Tuesday, citing a statement from the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). According to the outlet, the suspects are members of the Somali branch of IS, known as Daesh, which operates in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region. They were apprehended in a joint operation by Ethiopia's federal police and regional security forces at locations including the capital Addis Ababa, and in the Oromia and Amhara regions. 'NISS has been closely monitoring the group's cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia,' Fana stated. The militants were allegedly trained in Puntland and deployed to establish sleeper cells and coordinate attacks inside Ethiopia, according to the statement. It also reported that operatives were in direct contact with IS and engaged in logistical, financial, and operational support, with some also functioning as intelligence agents and recruiters. Daesh remains a rival to the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab, Somalia's dominant terrorist organization, which routinely launches bomb and gun attacks on civilians and military targets in a bid to topple the government and impose its rule. The two factions reportedly clash over territory, ideology, and resources. Earlier this week, al-Shabaab fighters reportedly seized Tardo, a town in Somalia's central Hiiran region. In May, the group killed at least ten people in a suicide bombing outside a military base in Mogadishu, just weeks after targeting the convoy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. The assaults have continued despite claims by US Africa Command that American forces have conducted 25 airstrikes against both IS and al-Shabaab in Somalia since President Donald Trump took office in January. The crackdown comes amid heightened insecurity in Ethiopia's northern region, where a brutal two-year civil war in Tigray displaced millions and killed well over 100,000 people, according to estimates by the Peace Research Institute Oslo. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2022, tensions persist between federal forces and Tigrayan factions over key issues such as disarmament and territorial disputes remaining unresolved.
Hans India
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
82 suspects arrested in Ethiopia over Islamic State-related terror attacks
Addis Ababa: Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) said that it has apprehended 82 suspects who were allegedly plotting terrorist operations in various parts of the East African country. In a statement, the NISS said that the arrest of the suspects, who have alleged links with the terrorist group the Islamic State (IS), stems from an extensive intelligence investigation into the Somali wing of the IS. The terrorist group has been attempting to expand its operational footprint into Ethiopia and neighbouring countries. According to the statement, NISS has been closely monitoring the group's cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia, Xinhua news agency reported. "Following the compilation of actionable intelligence and corroborating evidence, 82 operatives -- trained by the IS in Puntland and clandestinely deployed across Ethiopia -- were identified and apprehended in a coordinated operation conducted in collaboration with the Ethiopian Federal Police and regional security forces," the statement added. NISS confirmed that the suspects maintained direct links with the terrorist organisation and were engaged in receiving logistical, financial, and operational support. The statement further said that the IS has been exploiting religious institutions and symbols as a cover for its operations to disseminate extremist ideology, recruit vulnerable individuals, and destabilise communities. Earlier this year, Ethiopian and Kenyan intelligence agencies had launched a joint military operation aimed at dismantling a militant group along their common border areas, NISS said in a statement. The primary objective of the joint operation was to dismantle 'Shene', also known as the Oromo Liberation Army, a militant group designated as a terrorist organisation by the Ethiopian government, thereby enhancing regional stability along the border, the statement said. Specifically, the operation aimed to counter activities related to terrorism, contraband trade and the trafficking of people and arms. NISS said joint security forces from Ethiopia and Kenya were actively conducting operations in designated camps of the group within their respective border territories to neutralise its influence and promote peace in the Horn of Africa region.
Arab News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Ethiopia arrests 82 suspected members of Daesh group
NAIROBI: More than 80 suspected members of Daesh have been arrested across Ethiopia, state media said, claiming they intended to carry out a 'terror mission.' The 82 individuals were trained in neighboring Somali Puntland region, according to state outlet Fana Media Corporation, which cited a statement from the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS). Ethiopia shares a long border with Somalia, which for months has been experiencing a resurgence of attacks by the militant Al-Shabab group. Fana said late Tuesday the suspected Daesh group members were 'identified and arrested,' but did not give any further details. The suspects 'had been recruited for a terror mission,' Fana said, noting the arrests took place in several regions across the country, including capital Addis Ababa. Somalia and Ethiopia have had tense relations for months after Addis Ababa announced an agreement with the breakaway Somaliland region last year, angering Mogadishu and raising fears of regional destabilization. Relations between Somalia and Ethiopia have since normalized. Ethiopia is part of the African Union Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) combating the Al-Shabab group in Somalia. The AUSSOM mission faces funding difficulties, even as fears of the groups resurgence are stoked by attacks in the Horn of Africa nation.
Al Arabiya
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Ethiopia arrests dozens of suspected ISIS militants, Fana broadcaster reports
Ethiopia has arrested dozens of suspected ISIS militants, who it claimed have been trained and deployed to carry out operations across the country, the state-affiliated Fana broadcaster reported. The 82 suspects were part of ISIS' Somalia affiliate, which operates in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, according to a statement by the National Intelligence Security Services which was shared with Fana. The ISIS faction in Somalia has become an increasingly important part of its parent organization's worldwide network in recent years. 'NISS has been closely monitoring the group's cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia,' Fana reported late on Tuesday. With an estimated 700 to 1,500 fighters, ISIS' Somalia wing has grown in recent years thanks to an influx of foreign fighters and increasing revenues. But it is still much smaller than al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militant group, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia. The US military has carried out periodic air strikes against the group for years and recently intensified the strikes since President Donald Trump took office. Puntland government forces have captured large portions of territory from ISIS since announcing a major offensive against them in December.
Asharq Al-Awsat
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Ethiopia Reportedly Arrests Dozens of Suspected ISIS Militants
Ethiopia has arrested dozens of suspected ISIS militants, who it claimed have been trained and deployed to carry out operations across the country, the state-affiliated Fana broadcaster reported. The 82 suspects were part of ISIS's Somalia affiliate, which operates in the semi-autonomous Puntland region, according to a statement by the National Intelligence Security Services which was shared with Fana. The ISIS faction in Somalia has become an increasingly important part of its parent organization's worldwide network in recent years. "NISS has been closely monitoring the group's cross-border infiltration strategies and its efforts to establish sleeper cells in Ethiopia," Fana reported late on Tuesday. With an estimated 700 to 1,500 fighters, ISIS's Somalia wing has grown in recent years thanks to an influx of foreign fighters and increasing revenues. But it is still much smaller than al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militant group, which controls large parts of southern and central Somalia. The US military has carried out periodic airstrikes against the group for years and recently intensified the strikes since President Donald Trump took office. Puntland government forces have captured large portions of territory from ISIS since announcing a major offensive against them in December.
