Library image of an armed Reaper drone, December 2019 (US Air Force/ Senior Sergeant Haley Stevens)
Between one and two civilians were allegedly killed in a US and Somali forces raid or airstrike on Beerta Xassan Huutaan near Afgoye. The pro Al Shabaab outlet Halgan Media said: “Sources reveal US and Somali special forces raided a rural farming village outside the town of Afgoye in the Lower Shabelle province of Somalia.
Exactly six months after Joe Biden became president, the US conducted its first declared strike in Somalia of his administration, at either 10.21 or 11.05am on July 20th 2021. According to Morad News the attack took place in the Qay’ad area of Muldug, with Sonna state media reporting that the airstrike was conducted on a
Four al-Shabaab militants were killed by declared AFRICOM strikes near Xaradheere on January 25, 2023. AFRICOM released a statement on January 30th that “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of Somali National Army engagements against al-Shabaab, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike on Jan. 25, 2023. The strike
Somali state media reported that 167 al-Shabaab militants were killed by Somali airstrikes in collaboration with “international partners” near Harardhere town on September 2, 2023. al-Shabaab instead identified those killed as four inmates in a prison, adding that seven others were injured, while a local source attributed the airstrike to the US military. @HarunMaruf quoted
This was the second of two strikes confirmed by the Pentagon on April 4th 2016. The attack was a “self-defence air strikes against al Shabaab fighters who posed imminent threats to US and partner nation forces in Somalia,” Department of Defense spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Michelle Baldanza told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Earlier on April 4th,
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
AFRICOM reported that two days previously it had “conducted an airstrike destroying an al-Shabaab vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near Jana Cabdalle, Somalia, on the afternoon of April 11.” AFRICOM made no mention of civilian harm. Additionally, AFRICOM did not state whether any belligerents had been killed in this strike. In a subsequent FOIA response obtained by
Four al Shabaab fighters were reported killed as the US carried out what it said was a self-defence strike in the vicinity of Awdheegle, Lower Shabelle, after US and partner forces came under attack, US Africa Command said in a statement. Associated Press gave a detailed report on the event: “Somali commandos backed by U.S.
The US military conducted a fresh airstrike on so-called Islamic State in Somaliland, reporting the next day that they had killed one senior member of the terrorist group in the Golis Mountains region. “At this time, it is assessed the airstrike killed one (1) terrorist who played a key role in facilitation for the group,
A reported airstrike or bomb blast by an unknown party on an al Shabaab radio station in Buale or Jilib town killed up to 25 al Shabaab supporters – five of them journalists. US Africa Command later denied responsibility. According to Sonna Somalia, “At least 10 people have been killed and more than 30 others
Somali officials reported the death of a senior al Shabaab commander during a gun battle at Wanlaweyn. It was not clear whether US forces had also participated in the raid. According to the Horn Observer, “The special forces known as DANAB raided the house of Mohamed Osman Hussein Buluush, a mlitant bomb expert in the
Several 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
An alleged US drone strike killed 17 Al Shabaab fighters near Amreereey. SNA, the Somali forces’ radio, said that the strike “was carried out in collaboration with the Somali National Army and its international allies, took place in Amrerey area of Jilib district in Middle Juba region.” It added: “The militants killed in the shelling
An AFRICOM declared US airstrike in coordination with Somali Army commandos resulted in the death of up to five Al-Shabab fighters near Labi-Kus village on July 17, 2022. Somali National News Agency (SONNA), a Somali government-run news agency, tweeted that “three #Alshabab terrorists were killed and one was captured after Somali National Army’s commandos (#DANAB) attacked
More than 10 alleged al-Shabaab militants were killed by Somalia government forces and international partners in the Burweyn area of Hiraan region on February 28, 2023. A tweet from @HSNQ_NISA, the National Intelligence & Security Agency (NISA) of Somalia, announced that “more than” 10 [al-Shabaab members] including leaders were killed in an army operation by NISA
On the 24th of January, 2024, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted an airstrike against Al-Shabaab in a remote area near the town of Caad in the Mudug region of eastern Somalia. AFRICOM stated that six Al-Shabaab militants were killed in the strike and assessed that no civilians were injured or killed. AFRICOM released a statement
“Unknown military jets fired several missiles” at a suspected Somali pirate base in the northern autonomous region of Puntland a coastguard official told AFP. The target was the village of Gumah, described as being between Hafun and Bargal towns and some 220 kilometres (140 miles) east of Bossaso, the main port of Somalia’s breakaway Puntland
Two media organisations reported a possible US air operation targeting an al Shabaab base in the Lower Shabelle region. Dalsan Radio reported that Somali commandos backed by US Special Forces had attacked al Shabaab bases in Omar Berre in Lower Shabelle overnight using helicopters. It also quoted what it said was an eyewitness: “‘We heard several
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”.
A strike reportedly hit a village outside Marka, a city around 60 miles south of Mogadishu, according to a field investigation by a reporter for The Nation. There were no reports of immediate civilian harm, though a man reportedly died of a heart attack following the violence. Airwars has placed this event in a date
US Africa Command reported that the previous day it had “conducted an airstrike near a terrorist encampment location in the vicinity of Shebeeley, Hiran Region, Somalia, on January 30, 2019.” It added: “no civilians were injured or killed in this airstrike.” However, AFRICOM claimed that the airstrike “killed twenty-four militants.” This contrasted with AFRICOM claims just
A 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
Local reporters alleged that US and Somali forces had killed four civilians including a mother and child, during an operation in Leego. Caasimada alleged that the civilians were killed around midnight, by Somali troops accompanied by ‘white US officers’, and claimed that the attacking forces had flown there from a military base to the north.
According to Voice of America correspondent Harun Maruf, two airstrikes by an unknown party struck al Shabaab targets in southern Somalia. One unsuccesfully targeted a ‘senior ISIS figure’ near Buaale. According to Maruf’s tweet, “There are reports of 2 new airstrikes in S. Somalia overnight. A strike in Jamame area reportedly hit a graduation ceremony
Two civilians, including a child, were reportedly injured in a US airstrike on Jilib. AFRICOM later admitted that the strike led to civilian harm. Somali Memo, a news site close to Al Shabaab, wrote: “Reports from Jilib district say that a drone crashed into a civilian residence yesterday, killing no one but injuring two civilians,
Three civilians were killed and one child injured by a US airstrike near Jilib, according to a number of local sources. Mareeg said that at least two civilians had been killed. Halgan Media claimed the following: “Suspected US drones launched a series of strikes overnight bombing the Al Shabaab controlled town of Jilib in the
A US airstrike targeted Al Shabaab in Burr Heybo, AFRICOM told Airwars via email. The correspondence reads: “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted one airstrike in Burr Heybo, Somalia on Dec. 21 targeting two (2) al-Shabaab terrorist. The command’s initial assessment concluded this airstrike yielded no death or injuries
Over 100 al-Shabaab militants were reportedly killed by Somali forces and “international partner” airstrikes or ground operations on the outskirts of the village of El-Dhere on November 26, 2022. Voice of America quoted Somalia’s deputy information minister, Abdirahman Yusuf Omar Adala, who said that an operation conducted by the Somali army, backed by locals and international
Between 10 and 40 militants were killed by declared US airstrikes near Afmadow in Lower Juba on July 8, 2023. AFRICOM announced on July 9, 2023 that “At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted three collective self-defense airstrikes overnight in a remote area near Afmadow, approximately 105 kilometers north
Several people, possibly civilians, were left wounded as US airstrikes hit four towns near Ras Kamboni, including a terrorist training camp on Badmadow island, local and international media reported. Sources added that up to ten al Qaeda members were also killed. The strikes came just two days after the US-launched AC-130 attack in Ras Kamboni,