Library image of an armed Reaper drone, December 2019 (US Air Force/ Senior Sergeant Haley Stevens)
According to a local source, heavy fighting near the port of Bari in Puntland killed two people and injured five others, including civilians. AFRICOM later declared that “no U.S. military strike took place on the alleged date or location.” Radio Shabelle initially said that an airstrike by an unknown party had contributed to the violence
Both US Africa Command and the Somali government declared on the same day two airstrikes in the vicinity of Kunya Barrow. There were no known local claims of associated civilian harm. According to the AFRICOM press release, “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted two (2) airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab terrorists
Several Al Shabaab members were allegedly killed by a US airstrike on Jamaame. The Horn Observer said: “Two mid level al-Shabaab officials are among several killed after a suspected U.S airstrikes targeted the group’s strongholds in Jamame and in Haway in the country’s southern regions of Lower Jubba and Lower Shabelle on Monday. According to
Several Al Shabaab militants were reported killed at Salagle in a military strike which two local sources claimed was a US drone action. However AFRICOM explicitly denied this in an email to Airwars, insisting that “U.S. Africa Command’s last airstrike in Somalia was conducted Jan. 19, 2021.” Intelligence Briefs said: “A number of Al-Shabaab operatives
Between 12 and 117 alleged al-Shabaab militants were killed by declared AFRICOM airstrikes and/or Somali National Army operations in Donlaye, near Amara town, on February 10, 2023. AFRICOM released a statement on February 12th that “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, U.S. Africa
Two al-Shabaab militants were reportedly killed by declared US airstrikes approximately 45 km northeast of Kismayo in Somalia on March 2, 2024. US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) released a statement on March 4th declaring their involvement: “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense against the al Shabaab
On December 28th 2017, AFRICOM reported that it had “conducted an airstrike against al-Shabaab militants in the early evening hours of Dec. 27, 2017, approximately 25 kilometres west of the capital”. It added that “we assess no civilians were killed in this strike”. However, AFRICOM claimed that the strike had “killed four terrorists”, adding that
One woman and several children were wounded by an alleged US drone strike in El Adde town, Gedo, as up to ten al Shabaab members were targeted and killed, local media reported. Somali media site Mareeg reported that a US drone strike had injured women and children. Anonymous sources said the victims had been been
The US military carried out two separate airstrikes targeting al Shabaab in the vicinity of Jilib, according to a press release from US Africa Command. According to AFRICOM, “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted two airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab militants in the vicinity of Jilib, Somalia, on June 16, 2019… At
The US military declared an airstrike near Qunyo Barrow that killed one al Shabaab fighter, according to a press release from US Africa Command. The attack took place on the same date that AFRICOM had carried out a retaliatory airstrike following a complex al Shabaab attack on Baledogle airfield. The press release noted: “In coordination
The US military reported on the same day that it had carried out an airstrike near Qunyo Barrow that killed one “terrorist.” However al Shabaab insisted the victim was a local civilian businessman named Ismail Issa Bhutan. AFRICOM later insisted the target “was both an al-Shabaab leader and weapons supplier.” According to a press release
A Somali special forces military action backed by “international partners” killed 35 al Shabaab fighters in the vicinity of Lafta Anole neighborhood in Lower Juba, according to local and international media reports. Xinhua carried the most detailed report: “Hassan Mohamad Aden, commander of the Danab Forces in Jubbaland State, said a joint operation was conducted
In an event not publicly disclosed at the time, US Africa Command conducted a strike in the vicinity of Saakow on February 21st, which it later said “did not result in any terrorist deaths, injuries or damage to equipment and infrastructure. Nor did we assess any civilians were killed or injured.” The strike came to
Six Al Shabaab members were allegedly killed and three more injured by a US strike in combination with a US/Somali ground operation near Darusalaam. Local sources claimed US soldiers had been injured which AFRICOM denied. A report from Halgan Media said: “US trained Somali paramilitary forces, commonly referred to as “Danab” carried out counter terrorism
The US Africa Command (AFRICOM) declared an airstrike in a remote location near Beer Xaani, in the vicinity of Yaaq-Zaluul, in Somalia on June 3rd 2022. They declared that five Al-Shabaab militants were killed in this attack but that no civilians were injured or killed. In local reports, this was repeated and there were no
Kenyans.co.ke reported that a joint operation by US Commandos, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the Security Forces in Jubaland resulted in the death of 17 al-Shabaab militants in Weelmarow Village in Lower Juba. The source added that the majority of the al-Shabaab militants were Kenyan and Ethiopian natives. No other sources reported on the incident.
A US drone strike targeted a vehicle carrying three al Shabaab figures in southern Somalia. The attack hit in the early evening and killed a senior al Shabaab leader, Hassan Ali Dhoore, according to the Pentagon. There were additional reports that two other militants were killed alongside Hassan Ali Dhoore. There are currently no reports
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
AFRICOM reported that the previous day it had “conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabaab militants in the vicinity of Quy Cad near Debatscile, Somalia on November 27, 2018”. It added: “We currently assess this airstrike did not injure or kill any civilians.” However, AFRICOM claimed that the airstrike had “killed three (3) militants”. It added “This follows
US Africa Command stated in a press release issued the following day that it carried out an airstrike in the vicinity of Malayle, Lower Juba region on March 13th 2019. AFRICOM stated unusually that it had carried out “a collective self-defense airstrike,” explaining that “Somali National Security Forces (SNSF) were conducting a presence patrol in
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
A joint action by Somali troops and US Special Forces killed 30 al Shabaab militants including two foreign fighters, in the town of Jilib, according to a Somali National Army commander. Xinhua reported the following: “The Somali National Army (SNA) on Sunday killed 30 al-Shabab militants, including two foreign nationals, in the southern town of
An Al Shabaab facility was hit by a US airstrike near Jilib, according to AFRICOM. The press statement, released two days later, asserted: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted two (2) airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab terrorists and a compound in the vicinity of Jilib, Somalia, Feb. 6… Initial assessments conclude
Eight Al Shabaab militants were allegedly killed by three US strikes near Mubaraak. The AFRICOM press release said: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted three (3) airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab terrorists in the vicinity of Mubaraak, Somalia, Apr. 5. The command’s initial assessment concluded these airstrikes killed eight (8) terrorists.
Two civilians were initially reported wounded in two US airstrikes on Kunya Barrow, local reports claimed. AFRICOM later confirmed that three civilians were in fact injured in the attack. Radio Al Furqaan, the Al Shabaab-affiliated radio station bombed in the incident, said at the time: “On Friday afternoon, January 1, 2021, US warplanes bombed the
Over 49 al-Shabaab militants were reportedly killed and others were wounded by Somali forces and “international partner” airstrikes/ground operations in the Bulo Madina area of Lower Shabelle on November 22, 2022. Garrote Online reported that according to the Ministry of Information, over 49 militants were killed by an airstrike following an operation by the Somali
Local and official sources alleged that 27 al-Shabaab militants were killed by operations and airstrikes declared by the Somali military in the villages of Balal-Dheer, El-Gambar, and Mililiqo on September 22, 2023. On Friday the 22nd of September, 2023, the Somali Ministry of Defense posted a statement on X / Twitter that “over 27 Khawarij
The US reported in a press release published on September 27th that it had conducted a “self-defence strike” in Caba near Kismayo the previous day, killing four al Shabaab fighters . The press release said that a group of armed al Shabaab fighters attacked the Somali force and their US advisors. The Somali forces returned
An airstrike near the village of Jawaari was variously blamed on US and Kenyan forces. Mareeg, a Somali news outlet, reported a strike by unidentified jets which it said had potentially killed eight members of al Shabaab. The terror group itself reportedly denied that any of its fighters were killed. The source of Mareeg’s information
Up to 73 al Shabaab fighters were killed in a confirmed retaliatory strike conducted by US Africa Command. On the same day as the attack, AFRICOM reported that it had “conducted an airstrike targeting militants near Jilib, Middle Juba Region, Somalia, on January 19, 2019.” The airstrike was apparently conducted after a large contingent of