Incident date
May 9, 2016
LOCATION
Tortoroow, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaKenyan and Somali forces, and their US advisors, carried out a raid on an al Shabaab checkpoint in Toratorow. The US carried out an airstrike during the operation – though initially denied doing so. Media reports said helicopters were involved, indicating that both US air and ground forces were participating. However a US spokesperson denied
Summary
Incident date
May 17, 2019
LOCATION
جيليب, Jilib, Middle Juba, SomaliaA suspected US drone carried out double airstrikes in Somalia’s Middle Juba region, killing 20 al Shabaab fighters in total, Mareeg Media reported. According to Mareeg: “A suspected US drone has carried out double air strikes targeting towns held by al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab in south of Somalia. The strikes were conducted in Bu’ale and
Summary
Incident date
December 29, 2019
LOCATION
Vicinity of Kunyo Barrow, SomaliaIn retaliatory actions against al Al Shabaab for a mass casualty bombing in Mogadishu a day earlier, the United States said that it had conducted three strikes against al Shbaab commanders, killing four people in total.This entry relates to one of two strikes in the vicinity of Kunyo Barrow in Lower Shabelle. Al Shabaab itself
Summary
Incident date
March 10, 2020
LOCATION
جيليب, Jilib, Middle Juba, SomaliaA US airstrike targeted Al Shabaab in Jilib, according to local reporting. Radio Kulmiye said: “Suspected US airstrikes targeted to Al-shabaab compounds in southern Somalia. The attacks destroyed vehicles, camps and killed militants. According to Somali intelligence officials, the airstrikes carried by unidentified military planes targeted Jilib, Sakow and Bu’ale towns of Middle Jubba region,
Summary
Incident date
July 29, 2020
LOCATION
جيليب, Jilib, Middle Juba, SomaliaThe US military reported on the same day that it had conducted an airstrike against al Shabaab fighters in the town of Jilib. However it was locally claimed that the attack had killed three young children, whose bodies were shown on social media. In a press release published on the evening of the attack, AFRICOM
Summary
Incident date
August 1, 2021
LOCATION
Between Qaycad town and Xarardheere , Mudug, SomaliaIn its latest actions in support of Somali ground forces, AFRICOM confirmed that it had conducted airstrikes on al Shabaab positions “in the vicinity of Qeycad” on August 1st. Statements published by both the Somali Ministry of Information and Galmudug State referred to two separate strikes, which Airwars is therefore treating as separate events. Galmudug
Summary
Incident date
February 10, 2023
LOCATION
Donlaye, Mudug, SomaliaBetween 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
Summary
Incident date
May 26, 2023
LOCATION
Vicinity of ATMIS forward operating base, Bulo Marer, 75 miles south-west of Mogadishu, South-eastern Somalia, SomaliaOn the 26th of May, 2023, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabaab fighters in the vicinity of an ATMIS (African Union Transition Mission in Somalia) forward operating base in Bulo Marer, 75 miles southwest of Mogadishu, Somalia. To date, there have been no reports of civilian harm with regard to the airstrike, while a
Summary
Incident date
May 12, 2016
LOCATION
Sabiid, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaA US air strike reportedly killed five people – all of them said to be al Shabaab fighters. The attack was defensive and conducted to protect African troops on the ground, an Africom spokesperson told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. The Ugandan soldiers, part of the African Union peacekeeping force Amisom, were attacking a makeshift
Summary
Incident date
October 2, 2017
LOCATION
مبارك, Mubaraak, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaOn 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
Summary
Incident date
May 23, 2018
LOCATION
Arbiska, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaA late night US strike on the village of Arbiska was reported by Radio Shabelle. According to the local news outlet, “Suspected American fighter jets were reported to have carried out an overnight airstrike in Lower Shabelle region, targeting Al-Shabaab bases, residents said. The strike happened on the outskirt of Arbiska village, located near the capital,
Summary
Incident date
December 16, 2018
LOCATION
غندرشي, Gandarshe, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaAFRICOM publicly reported two strikes on the same area on the same day – asserting that it had killed 28 al Shabaab militants in total in the vicinity of Gandarshe. Another four strikes took place at the same location the previous day on December 15th, it said – killing another 34 militants. “All six airstrikes
Summary
Incident date
April 11, 2019
LOCATION
Garowle, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaThe US military carried out an airstrike in Garowle, Lower Shabelle region, according to a press release issued by US Africa Command the following day. The release asserted that two terrorists were killed in the strike, and that one motorcycle was also destroyed. It further noted that AFRICOM currently assessed that no civilians were harmed
Summary
Incident date
December 15, 2018
LOCATION
غندرشي, Gandarshe, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaAFRICOM publicly reported four strikes on the same area on the same day – asserting that it had killed 34 al Shabaab militants in total in the vicinity of Gandarshe. Another two strikes took place on December 16th, it said – killing another 28 militants. “All six airstrikes were conducted in close coordination with the
Summary
Incident date
March 22, 2019
LOCATION
Bu'aale, Middle Juba, SomaliaA reported precision airstrike by an unidentified aircraft at Buaale, Middle Juba was said to have killed up to 50 fighters with local Al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab – along with a named senior leader. The event was first reported by Kenyan media – though reports did not identify which nation had conducted the alleged
Summary
Incident date
January 22, 2020
LOCATION
Sakow district, Middle Juba, SomaliaLocal reports claimed that US airstrikes had targeted al Shabaab bases near Sakow in Middle Juba, in support of ground operations by Somali forces. AFRICOM itself did not publicly report any strikes on this date. Goobjoog News reported what it said were US strikes in support of Somali ground operations “around Sakow district, the airstrike
Summary
Incident date
March 15, 2020
LOCATION
Vicinity of Janaale, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaSeveral days after the events, US Africa Command press released that it had conducted five airstrikes in the vicinity of Janaale during March 16th-17th. Somali state media and government reported the same strikes but said they took place on March 15th-16th. AFRICOM said the actions were in support of ground operations by Somalia forces, while noting
Summary
Incident date
September 21, 2020
LOCATION
Jana Cabdalle, Lower Juba, SomaliaA US airstrike targeted a vehicle in Jana Cabdalle, AFRICOM confirmed to Airwars via email. The Africa Command stated: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted one airstrike in Jana Cabdalle, Somalia on Sept. 21 to prevent a military vehicle from being commandeered by al-Shabaab terrorists. The command’s initial assessment
Summary
Incident date
September 18, 2022
LOCATION
near Bulabarde, Hiiraan, SomaliaAFRICOM declared conducting an airstrike on September 18th 2022 against Al-Shabaab terrorists who were reportedly attacking the Somalia National Army forces near Buulobarde, Somalia. The US confirmed responsibility for killing 27 militants in this strike, according to the US, with the Somalia National Army saying that over 100 militants were killed in the whole operation
Summary
Incident date
May 2, 2023
LOCATION
near Nungare, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaMore than 40 al-Shabaab militants were killed during operations carried out by Somalia government forces and international partners near Nungare/ Barire town in Lower Shabelle on May 2, 2023. The National Intelligence & Security Agency (NISA) @HSNQ_NISA tweeted that more than 40 al-Shabaab militants, including leaders and foreigners, were killed during an army operation in
Summary
Incident date
February 17, 2024
LOCATION
Kuntu Waarey District and the El-Wadalan area of the Galcad district, Lower Shabelle and Galgaduud provinces, SomaliaOn the 17th of February, 2024, the Somali National Army (SNA) announced that they had conducted two airstrikes against Al-Shabaab militants with assistance from “international partners”. According to a statement from the Somali Ministry of Defense, one strike was conducted in the Kuntu Waarey District in Lower Shabelle and another was carried out in Galcad
Summary
Incident date
October 28, 2013
LOCATION
Dhaytubako, Middle Juba, SomaliaAt least two people, both reportedly al-Shabaab affiliated, were killed in a US drone strike on a vehicle in Jilib, Middle Juba region, international media reported. As of now, there are no reports about civilian harm. Senior al Shabaab commander Ibrahim Ali Abdi (aka Anta Anta) was killed in the attack, according to Abu Mohamed,
Summary
Incident date
April 14, 2017
LOCATION
Wargaduud and El Adde, Gedo, SomaliaChinese news agency Xinhua reported Somali security officials and residents as claiming that over 100 al Shabaab fighters, including 20 commanders, were killed in US air strikes on the morning of April 15th. The attack was denied by US Africa Command, which said the US military had not conducted the action. In an explicit statement
Summary
Incident date
November 27, 2017
LOCATION
Hills around Dasaan, Bari, SomaliaOn the same day, AFRICOM reported that it had “conducted an airstrike against ISIS, in northeastern Somalia on Nov. 27”. It added that “the strike occurred at approximately 3 p.m. local Somalia time” and made no mention of civilian harm. However, it did claim that the strike had “killed one terrorist”. Reuters placed the attack near Qandala:
Summary
Incident date
August 27, 2018
LOCATION
40 km southwest of Mogadishu, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaUS forces carried out a strike on August 27th killing three alleged members of al Shabaab, US Africa Command declared two days later, The strike hit approximately 40 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu. The official statement read: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. forces conducted an airstrike targeting al-Shabaab militants approximately 40 kilometers
Summary
Incident date
February 5, 2019
LOCATION
ليغو, Leego, Bay, SomaliaUS Africa Command reported on the same day that it had “conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of Leego, Bay Region, Somalia, on February 5, 2019.” According to AFRICOM this was the second airstrike it undertook over a 48 hour period, the first occurring on February 3rd in Gandarshe, Lower Shebelle Region. AFRICOM added that
Summary
Incident date
May 24, 2019
LOCATION
Golis Mountains, Noogal, SomaliaThe US military carried out an airstrike in the Golis Mountains, according to a press release from US Africa Command. Unusually for recent strikes in the area, the attack targeted al Shabaab rather than ISIS according to AFRICOM. The strike reportedly killed three al Shabaab fighters, with AFRICOM saying that it currently assessed no civilians had
Summary
Incident date
August 20, 2018
LOCATION
Basra, Lower Shabelle, SomaliaAn investigation by journalist Amanda Sperber identified a possible US airstrike near Basra around the time of Eid in August 2018, which allegedly killed between 10 and 12 members of the same family. Airwars has provided a relatively wide date range for this event, based on limited reporting. The investigation, published by The Nation in
Summary
Incident date
October 25, 2019
LOCATION
Jamaame, Lower Juba, SomaliaLocal reports claimed that a pair of airstrikes by unknown international powers – presumably either the United States or Kenya – had targeted al Shabaab fighters in the towns of Jamaame and Buaale. According to Radio Kulmiye, “Another airstrikes were reported [on October 25th] from Middle Juba region, highly controlled by Al-Shabaab. Witnesses said that
Summary
Incident date
February 22, 2020
LOCATION
سااكوو, Saakow, Middle Juba, SomaliaTwo Al Shabaab members were killed and another wounded in two or more US airstrikes near Saakow, according to AFRICOM. The US later said the pair, a husband and wife, were both active terrorists within al Shabaab. The initial press release said: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted an