US Forces in Somalia

Library image of an armed Reaper drone, December 2019 (US Air Force/ Senior Sergeant Haley Stevens)

Belligerent
US Forces
Country
Somalia
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Strike Status
Strike Type
Infrastructure

Incident Code

USSOM039

Incident date

July 15, 2015

Location

Baardheere, Gedo, Somalia

Geolocation

2.338976, 42.283535 Note: The accuracy of this location is to City level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US drone strike allegedly killed “a senior commander and other members” of al Shabaab. Two or three people were reportedly killed by the drones – with an artillery barrage from Kenyan troops followed up the air attack according to the Los Angeles Times, and reportedly killing 50 ‘militants’.

This was the first of six reported US drone strikes to hit in and around the town of Baardheere as the US provided top cover to advancing African Union troops. The Amisom peacekeepers took the town a week after this attack, ousting al Shabaab fighters.

The attack appeared to have hit a vehicle outside the town of Baardheere in southern Somalia. Three al Shabaab “officials” were reportedly in the car, two of whom were killed according to residents. Two of the dead were identified as Ismail Jabhad and Ismail Dhere.

The strike targeted a large group of al Shabaab fighters who were said to be preparing to attack African Union and US forces. The Kenyan interior minister claimed that the death toll was far higher than two or three.

The US carried out a strike on al Shabaab militants “who were in the final stages of planning an attack on Amisom forces,” a spokesperson from Africom, the US military command responsible for operations in Africa. The strike hit at “approximately 8pm eastern” – 3am in Mogadishu and 1am GMT.

The strike prevented an attack that could have caused harm to civilians and friendly forces, the spokesperson added, saying the US was still assessing the situation on the ground but believed there were no civilian casualties. AFRICOM also played down claims that the strike was connected to a visit by President Obama at the time to Kenya.

An unnamed US military official told the Associated Press a joint US and African Union force was moving in to attack al Shabaab positions in Bardhere when the terrorist group advanced on the joint force. The drone carried out the strike, “killing and wounding a number of them,” the Associated Press reported.

The drone strike hit three days after Kenyan jets reportedly bombed an al Shabaab base in Bardere. The town had reportedly been taken by al Shabaab in 2009 and held since. Amisom peacekeepers were reportedly advancing on the area. The US said it carried out the attack to prevent an attack on Amisom soldiers.

The incident occured at approximately 3:00 am local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attackers
    US Forces, Kenyan Military Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–30

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place near the town Baardheere, for which the generic coordinates are: 2.338976, 42.283535. Reports also mention that after the attack telecommunication network in Baardheere was cut off, which might indicate the targeting of telecom infrastructure. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US Forces

LA Times, July 23rd, 2015:

"The U.S. military’s Africa Command, which oversees operations on the continent, confirmed the airstrikes, but said the timing was not related to Obama’s visit to Kenya and Ethiopia.
“Over the past week, U.S. forces conducted a series of strikes against Al Shabab in defense of AMISOM forces under imminent threat of attack,” Patrick Barnes, a spokesman for the command, said in a statement. “The strikes prevented attacks by militants, which posed a significant threat to friendly forces.”"

Kenyan Military Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    Kenyan Military Forces
  • Kenyan Military Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attackers
    US Forces, Kenyan Military Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–30

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM040

Incident date

July 15, 2015–July 18, 2019

Location

مدينة ﺑﺮﺍﻭة, Baraawe, Lower Shabelle, Somalia

Geolocation

1.112554, 44.028921 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least five US drone strikes hit in the space of three days killing an undisclosed number of people. They were reportedly carried out in support of African Union troops who were advancing on Baraawe, an al Shabaab stronghold since 2009.

The strikes reportedly hit between the attack reported on July 15th and July 18th, when President Obama arrived in Kenya for an official visit.

The attacks were reported in the LA Times, citing anonymous US officials. They were confirmed by a US spokesperson who said in a statement: “Over the past week, US forces conducted a series of strikes against al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Somalia, in defence of Amisom forces under imminent threat of attack.”

Previous US air attacks in Somalia had been focused on decapitating al Shabaab, taking out its senior leaders. These attacks were more focused on directly supporting and protecting African Union troops on the ground. “The strikes prevented attacks by militants, which posed a significant threat to friendly forces. We are still assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information if and when appropriate,” the spokesperson said.

One US military official echoed this, telling the LA Times: “It’s a change in how we’re providing support… Up until now, we’ve focused strikes on high-value targets. These strikes were launched to defend forces on the ground.” An unnamed senior US official told the paper al Shabaab were “massing,” and “massing provides targets, and targets get struck.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–10

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the port city Baraawe, for which the coordinates are: 1.112554, 44.028921. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US Forces

LAt Times, July 23rd, 2015:

"The U.S. military’s Africa Command, which oversees operations on the continent, confirmed the airstrikes, but said the timing was not related to Obama’s visit to Kenya and Ethiopia.
“Over the past week, U.S. forces conducted a series of strikes against Al Shabab in defense of AMISOM forces under imminent threat of attack,” Patrick Barnes, a spokesman for the command, said in a statement. “The strikes prevented attacks by militants, which posed a significant threat to friendly forces.”"

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    2–10

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM041

Incident date

November 22, 2015

Location

Balad Amiin, Lower Shabelle, Somalia

Geolocation

2.58327, 44.80579 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US strike targeted an al Shabaab base in Balad Amin in southern Somalia, killing between five and 10 of the group’s fighters.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported at the time that the US confirmed it carried out an airstrike “at approximately 4pm Eastern Time” – 1am November 22 local time – in defence of US and Somali forces.

A US spokesperson said: “US forces operating with Somali National Army (SNA) forces conducted a self-defence airstrike against al Shabaab… The al Shabaab forces were preparing to attack US and SNA forces. We are still assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information if and when appropriate.”

Police, residents and the district commissioner told journalists a drone carried out the attack either late on November 21st or early on November 22nd.

“We heard three big crashes at an al Shabaab base in Balad Amin last night. It looked like a drone but we have no news of casualties,” Adan Ahmed, a resident of the area, told Reuters.

“The drone targeted an al Shabaab base last night. So far we have the information that five fighters including the al Shabaab leader in charge of Lower Shabelle region died in the strike,” according to Major Abdiqadir Ahmed, a police officer based in Wanlaweyn.

The district commissioner of Wanlawayn town, Hajji Isack Ali Mamow, told Shabelle News a “late night airstrike against [the] al Shabaab base” hit as leaders in the armed group were having a meeting. The attack allegedly was carried out by an unidentified drone.

At least three junior al Shabaab commanders were reportedly among the dead. The strike reportedly hit near Ballidogle Airport which also serves as a base for Somalia’s special commandos who are trained from US soldiers.

However, it should be noted that Airwars was unable to retrieve the original statement from the AFRICOM spokesperson, and must thus rely on paraphrasing BIJ’s reporting, considering the event as confirmed.

The incident occured at approximately 1:00 am local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5–10

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the village Baled/Beled Amiin, about 30 or 28 kilometers to the east of the town Wanla Weyn. The coordinates for Wanla Weyn are: 2.61945, 44.89357. According to UN mapping of the region, there are two settlements called Baled/Beled Amiin near the town Wanla Weyn: at 2.58327, 44.80579 and 2.58285, 44.7217. Only the first one shows a clear settlement on satellite imagery. However, neither of these locations are east of Wanla Weyn, they are to the west. In lack of any clarifying information or satellite imagery, Airwars has geolocated this incident to the settlement Beled Amiin, for which the coordinates are: 2.58327, 44.80579.

  • The settlements Baled Amiin and Beled Amiin west of Wanla Weyn (a 30 kilometer radius around Wanla Weyn marked in red

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5–10

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM042

Incident date

November 29, 2015

Location

Yasooman, Ceeldheer, Ceel Lahelay, Hiiraan, Somalia

Geolocation

4.264363, 45.353956 Note: The accuracy of this location is to District level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Unidentified jets reportedly bombed three villages – Yasooman, Ceeldheer and Ceel Lahelay in the central Hiiraan region – all described as being under al Shabaab control. There were no reported casualties.

According to All Africa: “An official says unidentified military jets bombed Al shabaab bases in the Somali region of Hiiraan on Sunday, the latest in series of aerial bombardment against the Al Qaeda-linked militants. Confirming the incident, Col Mohamed Omar Aden who is a senior Somali army commander in the region said the jets hit Yasooman, Ceeldheer and Ceel lahelay villages, which are all under Al shabaab control. No casualties reported in the multiple airstrikes against Al Shabaab strongholds in Hiiraan region. African Union troops in the region did not comment on the air attacks.”

It was not clear who carried out the strike – with US officials denying responsibility to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

The area where the attack hit borders Ethiopia, and was nominally under the control of the Burundian component of Amisom at the time.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Amisom Military Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the villages of Yasooman (4.055577, 45.749016), Ceeldheer (4.4197762, 44.8728480) and Ceel Lahelay (4.4601000, 45.4361500) in the Hiiraan region. The coordinates for the middle point between these villages are: 4.264363, 45.353956. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Amisom Military Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Amisom Military Forces
  • Amisom Military Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Single source claim
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attackers
    US Forces, Amisom Military Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab

Sources (1) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM043

Incident date

December 2, 2015

Location

Kunyo-Barow, Lower Shabelle, Somalia

Geolocation

0.7928186, 43.3841839 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

At least three alleged members of al Shahaab were killed in an airstrike against Kunyo-Barow village. The US action killed Abdirahman Sandhere, a senior al Shabaab fighter, the US Defence of Department (DoD) declared, along with two other suspected members of the group. There are currently no reports of civilian harm from this strike.

The “military air strike” specifically targeted Sandhere (aka Ukash) but also killed two unidentified associates, the DoD reported.

Initial reports said the attack hit one or two buildings in Kunyo Barrow village, near the town of Barawe where the group’s leader Abu Ahmed Godane was killed in September. However a spokesperson for the US military’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: “The strike occurred in one location and did not hit any structures.”

Sandhere was not among the six high value al Shabaab members listed at the time by the US on its Rewards for Justice programme. The DoD said, in a statement: “Ukash’s removal from the battlefield is a significant blow to al-Shabaab and reflects the painstaking work by our intelligence, military, and law enforcement professionals. This is an important step forward in the fight against al Shabaab, and the United States will continue to use the tools at our disposal – financial, diplomatic, intelligence and military – to dismantle al Shabaab and other terrorist groups who threaten [the USA], interests and persons. We will also continue to support our international partners, particularly the African Union Mission in Somalia, that are working to support the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia in building a secure and stable future for the Somali people.”

In a subsequent FOIA response obtained by journalist Joshua Eaton in May 2019, AFRICOM again confirmed it had carried out a strike on what it says was “an al-Shabaab named objective” in Kunyo Barrow, Somalia.

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention that the strike targeted an Al Shabaab base in or near the village of Kunya Barrow, for which the coordinates are: 0.7928186, 43.3841839. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

US Forces Assessment:

  • Known belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Original strike reports

US Forces

"U.S. military forces conducted an airstrike in Somalia Dec. 2 against a
senior al-Shabaab leader. 1/2"

AFRICOM told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism:

"U.S. military forces conducted an air strike in Somalia on Wednesday, December 02, 2015, against a senior leader of the al-Shabaab network. We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate."


DOD statement:
Today [Dec 7], the Department of Defense confirmed that Abdirahman Sandhere, also known as "Ukash," a senior leader of the al Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabaab, is dead as a result of a U.S. military airstrike in Somalia undertaken on December 2, 2015. Two other al Shabaab-affiliated associates were also killed in the strike that specifically targeted Abdirahman Sandhere.

Ukash's removal from the battlefield is a significant blow to al-Shabaab and reflects the painstaking work by our intelligence, military, and law enforcement professionals.

This is an important step forward in the fight against al-Shabaab, and the United States will continue to use the tools at our disposal- financial, diplomatic, intelligence and military – to dismantle al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups who threaten United States, interests and persons.

We will also continue to support our international partners, particularly the African Union Mission in Somalia, that are working to support the government of the Federal Republic of Somalia in building a secure and stable future for the Somali people.

US spokesperson said: The strike occurred in one location and did not hit any structures.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Known attacker
    US Forces
  • Known target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    3

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

USSOM044

Incident date

December 22, 2015

Location

Shanta Ameriko, Lower Shabelle, Somalia

Geolocation

1.218208, 43.360354 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A US drone strike reportedly killed Abu Ubaidah, leader of al Shabaab, as well as four other fighters. The US told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: “We are aware of the media reports but have no information on the incident.” However two named Somali officials asserted that it was a drone attack.

Ubaidah replaced Ahmed Abdi Godane when he was killed by US drones in September 2014. The US put out a reward in November 2015 for up to $6m to anyone with information leading to the location of Ubaidah.

It should be noted that Airwars was not able to retrieve the original confirmation from Africom to BIJ, and must thus rely on paraphrasing BIJ’s earlier reporting.

The incident occured during the night.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5

Sources (4) [ collapse]

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention that the strike targeted an Al Shabaab base in an area called Shanta Ameriko, reportedly the location of a former American oil company. According to GeoNames the coordinates for the Shanta Ameriko area are: 1.218208, 43.360354. This location is in an area that was explored by the American oil company Amoco during the 1980s however we weren’t able to narrow down a specific oil structure in this area. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Shanta Ameriko in the Amoco exploration block 6 in the 1980s

    Imagery:
    DIGGA Institute

US Forces Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US Forces
  • US Forces position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike, Drone Strike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    US Forces
  • Suspected target
    Al-Shabaab
  • Belligerents reported killed
    5

Sources (4) [ collapse]