Somalia’s NISA and CIA: An Effective Partnership Against AlQaeda

Un-burdened by the UN bureaucratic deficiencies, rampant corruption and the EU political agenda, the CIA team have dramatically shown through NISA that with enough hard work, consistent institutional support.

Mogadishu (Sunatimes) As the Western governments struggle to combat the growing AlQaeda terrorist menace in Africa, Somalia at the moment stands as conspicuous victory for the Obama Administration. The key to the spectacular elimination of the AlQaeda affiliated terrorist cell in Mogadishu and South Central Somalia owe much to the CIA’s clandestine partnership with the Somali National Security Intelligence Agency (NISA).

For the past 3 years, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been instrumental in not only setting up the Somalia National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) in 2011, but continues to provide core institutional funding, diplomatic access, and training in Mogadishu. In the same time period, the EU and UN have wasted millions of dollars for the military training of the nascent Somali National Army in Uganda.

Predictably, most of the EU and UN funds for the Somali military training mission have been siphoned off by the Yoweri Museveni regime. Therefore, the CIA has once again proven its effectiveness over multilateral agencies inside Somalia.

Un-burdened by the UN bureaucratic deficiencies, rampant corruption and the EU political agenda, the CIA team have dramatically shown through NISA that with enough hard work, consistent institutional support, and on-site training a loyal, effective and reliable Somali security force could be achieved within a short time.

Today, NISA is the only professional Somali security force in Mogadishu that can be relied upon to adequately neutralize the terrorist threat. NISA has eliminated countless AlShabaab financiers, ideologues, and infiltrated the ranks of the terrorist organization inside and outside the country. Neither the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) nor the various warlord militias have been able to garner the systematic successes of NISA in a hostile environment. The professionalization of the War on Terror has borne fruit in the creation of Somalia’s NISA.

Therefore, to expand the successes of the CIA-NISA partnership will require further insulation from the ineffectual UN and EU bureaucracies working in Somalia. NISA operations must not be tied to the Somali National Security Forces. To remain organizationally relevant, NISA operations and staff must be protected from interference. NISA’s budget, staffing, command structure, operations must not be constrained by the Somalia Federal Government or the EU officials.

NISA must continue to remain independent and fully equipped. In a very difficult and chaotic environment, NISA has shown its worth the investments in protecting the United States long-term national interests in Somalia. Consequently, NISA now requires extension of the existing independent budgetary support, staff training and exemption from the UNPOS and EU control.

Dr. M. Omar Hashi

wadijir@hotmail.com