EXCLUSIVE: Somalia, Iraq Move Toward Secret Security Deal as Iran's IRGC Eyes East Africa Expansion

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 16 May 2025 11:42

Visits: 551
(Rating 0.0/5 Stars) Total Votes: 0
0 0
Share via Social Media

EXCLUSIVE: Somalia, Iraq Move Toward Secret Security Deal as Iran's IRGC Eyes East Africa Expansion

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Somalia is preparing to send a high-level delegation to Iraq this weekend amid growing concerns over a secret security agreement that could signal Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) expansi

Share

The Somali Prime Minister, Hamza Barre, Interior Minister, Ali Yusuf Hosh, Minister of Internal Security, Abdullahi Ismail Fartaag, Police Commissioner, Asad Osman, and the Mayor of Mogadishu Mohamed Ahmed Amir, are seen meeting with Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari during his visit to Mogadishu. | Official photo, 24 April 2025.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Somalia is preparing to send a high-level delegation to Iraq this weekend amid growing concerns over a secret security agreement that could signal Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) expansion into East Africa, Somali intelligence sources told Horn Observer.

The Somali delegation is expected to arrive in Baghdad under the diplomatic cover of the 34th Arab League Summit on Saturday, which Somali officials will be attending.

The delegation will include an intelligence team led by 65-year-old Abdullahi Mohamed Ali "Sanbaloolshe," director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).

Sanbaloolshe, who holds dual Somali-British citizenship, will reportedly meet with Iraqi Shia militia leaders and officials affiliated with the IRGC’s Quds Force—the Islamic Republic’s elite foreign operations unit that reports directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A Somali intelligence source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that "the Somali officials are expected to sign an agreement with Iraq".

The source adds that the draft agreement was concluded following the recent visit of Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari to Mogadishu.

"Somalia will sign a formal agreement with Iraq, with a classified annex involving direct cooperation with the IRGC," the source claimed.

Iraqi Interior Minister al-Shammari, a seasoned Shia military officer, met with Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre and senior security officials in Mogadishu in April.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the meeting focused on "strengthening the fraternal ties between Somalia and Iraq,” with particular emphasis on security, counterterrorism, military training, and the exchange of intelligence.

PHOTO: Iraqi Interior Minister al-Shammari (left), a seasoned Shia military officer, met with Somali PM Hamza Abdi Barre in Mogadishu. |PHOTO 24 April, 2025.

Former Foreign Minister Ahmed Fiqi, who is now serving as Defense Minister, also confirmed the deal, stating, "Iraq's experience in the fight against ISIS is something Mogadishu is interested in."

Counter-ISIS operations in Somalia have been primarily led and conducted by Puntland, as the group is mainly based in Puntland’s eastern mountains, with no involvement from the Mogadishu government.

Houthi militias possible partnership with Al-Shabaab

That al-Shammari's visit followed a previous trip to Baghdad by Prime Minister Hamza, Sanbaloolshe, then-Foreign Minister Ahmed Fiqi, and National Security Adviser Hussein Sheikh Ali—who, like Sanbaloolshe, also holds Somali-British dual citizenship.

It came at a time when Iranian-backed Houthi militias began strengthening their cooperation with Somalia's al-Shabaab militants, sparking renewed fears of Tehran’s expanding proxy network in the region, as per our reporting back in July last year.

According to multiple sources, Somali officials held earlier undisclosed talks with the IRGC’s Quds Force in Baghdad, the same unit responsible for training and arming the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces.

Iran's interest in Somalia is reportedly driven by intelligence on United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israeli activity in Bosaso, Puntland—where a radar system to monitor Houthi missile movements was reportedly installed.

Puntland maintains independent security ties with the UAE and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), outside the control of Mogadishu.

A senior officer in NISA’s external relations unit declined to comment on the reported Baghdad meetings, and Prime Minister Hamza’s spokesperson Farhan Jimale also did not respond to inquiries.

However, Hamza Haadow, the Permanent Secretary of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs—who holds Somali-U.S. citizenship—told Horn Observer that the growing cooperation with Iraq focuses "mainly on security and counterterrorism operations,” without elaborating on the IRGC aspect.

Internal concerns within Mogadishu are mounting, especially over the increasing alignment of Puntland and Somaliland with Western powers. Both regions have independently engaged with U.S. security interests, a move that has reportedly frustrated the Federal Government [FGS] in Mogadishu.

An administrative director at the Prime Minister’s Office told Horn Observer anonymously that the Iraqi delegation had expressed concern about Israeli and UAE activities in the two breakaway regions.

"The FGS doesn’t control Puntland or Somaliland, but Prime Minister Hamza appeared particularly sensitive to the Israeli presence, especially due to Israel’s recent actions in Gaza,” the source said.

IRGC’s Reach Beyond the Middle East

The IRGC, and specifically the Quds Force, plays a pivotal role in Iran’s projection of power beyond its borders, according to a document seen by Horn Observer.

The group is responsible for supporting proxy militias throughout the region and is widely seen as a destabilizing force. For example, the Quds Force support to the Houthis in Yemen has included advanced military equipment, drones, and ballistic missiles used in attacks against the Saudi-led coalition and more recently on Israel and ships passing through the Gulf of Aden.

PHOTO: The IRGC, and specifically the Quds Force, plays a pivotal role in Iran’s projection of power beyond its borders, according to a document seen by Horn Observer.

In East Africa, the IRGC’s presence is less visible but remains under scrutiny.

UN reports and arms seizures at sea have pointed to Iranian arms smuggling routes across the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, sometimes involving Somali territories as logistical hubs.

Puntland and Somaliland are particularly vulnerable, given their coastal geography and semi-autonomous status. While the IRGC is not known to have a formal base in Somalia, its network of smuggling, covert intelligence, and destabilizing alliances in the Horn of Africa continues to alarm regional and international observers.

As Somalia inches closer to formalizing a security pact with Iraq, concerns are mounting that it could open a new chapter of IRGC operations in the region—posing fresh risks to peace and stability.