Library image of an armed Reaper drone, December 2019 (US Air Force/ Senior Sergeant Haley Stevens)
The sixth declared US strike in five days hit Somalia, targeting al Shabaab fighters, the US military told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. An Africa Command spokesperson said the attack occurred at 0840 near Gaduud about 250 miles southwest of Mogadishu. As of November 15th, the US was still “assessing the results of the strike”.
Two US strikes took place in Somalia on November 12th, with one targeting al Shabaab and the other hitting Islamic State, according to US Africa Command. The strikes killed “several” fighters, it said. The first strike against al Shabaab is recorded in a separate event. The second attack was carried out at approximately 0900 local
A US strike on al Shabaab fighters in the Lower Shabelle region also killed three civilians, Amnesty International later reported. Two US strikes took place in Somalia on November 12th, with one targeting al Shabaab and the other hitting Islamic State fighters, according to US Africa Command. The strikes killed “several fighters”, it said. The
US forces carried out a strike against al Shabaab at approximately 1630 local time on November 11, US Africa Command said. It made no mention of civilian harm. However, AFRICOM stated that the strike killed a single fighter, and that it took place near Gaduud, located 250 miles southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. This and
US forces carried out a strike against al Shabaab at approximately 8pm local Somalia time killing “several” fighters, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said. It was also alleged by local officials that three civilians had died. The strike hit the Lower Shabelle region. A Somali military official told Voice of America the strike, which they said
AFRICOM reported on the same day it had “conducted an airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabaab on Thur., Nov. 9 at approximately 3 p.m. local Somalia time”. It added that the “operation occurred in the Bay Region of Somalia, about 100 miles west of the capital, Mogadishu”. AFRICOM made no mention of civilian harm. However, it stated that
On November 3rd 2017, AFRICOM reported that it had “conducted two separate airstrikes against ISIS, in northeastern Somalia on Nov. 3”. It made no mention of civilian harm. However, AFRICOM stated that the strikes had killed “several terrorists”, though it was “currently assessing the results of the strikes”. The command added: “The first strike occurred at approximately
The US conducted its first known strike against so-called Islamic State in Somalia. CNN reported that both strikes were carried out by armed drone. According to Associated Press, “A US official said the strikes were carried out in northeastern Somalia, with the first around midnight local time and the second later in the morning. The
A US drone strike near Bariire on October 16th was confirmed by the US military. However, numerous allegations of civilian harm by international media have been denied. Whilst US Africa Command did not initially publish a press release regarding this strike, they confirmed to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism at the time that they carried
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did not proactively release information
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did not proactively release information
The US carried out an air strike on September 13th, killing six al Shabaab members, according to a press release from US Africa Command. The strike took place at approximately 0215 local time (1115 GMT), hitting an area in southern Somalia about 260km south of the capital, AFRICOM said. The original press release said three
AFRICOM reported that the previous day it had conducted “a precision airstrike in Somalia against al-Shabaab on Thurs., Sept. 7 at approximately 2:45 p.m. local Somalia time”. The release made no mention of civilian harm. However, AFRICOM asserted that the strike had killed “one (1) terrorist”. The strike was carried out under authorities passed in
On September 5th 2017, AFRICOM reported that it had conducted a precision airstrike in “central Somalia” against al-Shabaab militants that same day at approximately 9:50am local Somalia time. The release made no mention of civilian harm. However, AFRICOM asserted that the strike had killed “three (3) terrorists”. The action, it said, had hit in the
The US said it carried out a strike near Barawe in southern Somalia on August 31st, killing one al Shabaab fighter and wounding one other. AP reported that “At least one missile struck a location outside Barawe that the extremists often use to launch attacks on the government-held town, a Somali intelligence official said. He
The US military and the Somali government announced they were investigating reports that ten civilians, including three children, were killed during an operation on a farm in Bariire, in Somalia’s southern Lower Shabelle region. However, on November 28th 2017, the US published a press release concluding that only “armed enemy combatants” were killed. Earlier that
Seven civilians from the same family including a wife and husband died in US airstrikes which reportedly hit civilian homes near Jilib, according to two reports. The victims are named below. The US announced it carried out a series of attacks between August 16th and 17th, allegedly killing up to seven al Shabaab fighters. However
The US carried out two “kinetic” strikes against al Shabaab members in the Banadir region of southern Somalia on August 10th, US Africa Command announced. There were no known associated public reports of civilian harm. As AFRICOM itself has treated these as distinct events, we have separated them here. A press release from the Somali
According to a Freedom of Information request obtained by journalist Joshua Eaton in May 2019, this previously unknown US strike took place in the vicinity of Shashweyne, Bandir region, Somalia against al-Shabaab fighters. In its FOIA response, AFRICOM again confirmed it had targeted what it says were “AS fighters”, in the vicinity of Shashweyne, Banadir
US Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed a US strike killed Ali Muhammad Hussein, believed to be a high-level al Shabaab commander. No civilians were reported to have been killed or injured in the strike. The strike took place in Tortoroow in southern Somalia at around 1500 local time on July 30th, reportedly killing Jabal alone. Africom
On November 17th, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported actions, which included this strike. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did not proactively release information about
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. No casualties were reported. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did
A suspected al Shabaab associate who once lived in the US was arrested during a mission in Somalia, a US Africa Command spokesperson told AP. It was a Somali-led mission with “limited tactical advisory support” from the US, spokesperson Jennifer Dyrcz said. The suspect, identified as Abdirizak Tahlil, was accused of “facilitating the use of improvised
On November 17th, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. No casualties were reported. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did not
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did not proactively release information
On November 17th 2017, US Africa Command sent the Bureau of Investigative Journalism a list of previously unreported strikes, which included this one. An AFRICOM spokesperson explained that their goal “is to be as transparent as possible while taking into account operational security, force protection and diplomatic sensitivities.” It therefore did not proactively release information
US and Somali special forces carried out a night raid on an al Shabaab-held village in southern Somalia, the district commissioner and a senior Somali intelligence official told reporters. It was the second US operation in the village in two weeks. “Several al-Shabaab fighters” are thought to have been killed according to NBC. Two helicopters
US forces were involved in a “self-defence strike operation” with Somali National Army (SNA) forces “against an al Shabaab troop concentration” in the country’s south, according to an Africa Command (AFRICOM) press release. The statement did not include a casualty count, saying it “will continue to assess the results of the operation, and will provide
A US airstrike in the Lower Shabelle region targeting al Shabaab insurgents killed one member of the terror group, according to AFRICOM. The victim may have been the leader of the group’s intelligence wing, Andullahi Haji Daud. There are currently no known associated reports of civilian harm. The strike hit in the south of the
An airstrike reportedly killed up to two civilians in O’wdhille, a village about 55 miles south of Mogadishu, according to findings from a field investigation by The Nation. Reporter Amanda Sperber detailed the account of Osman [not his real name] whose relatives were reportedly killed in the strike: “Around 5 pm in early July 2017, Osman