Incident Code

USSOM242

Location

Bu'aale, Middle Juba, Somalia

Geolocation

1.251778, 42.575959
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: SOM165b)

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 of new recruits for Jaysh Ayman, the Al-Shabaab unit that operates in Kenya; the 2nd strike in Buale area missed to hit a senior Al-Shabaab figure, source.”

No additional public details are presently known about this event.

Asked whether it had been responsible for this event, in February 2020 a senior AFRICOM official told Airwars that this was not the case. However, this may not preclude actions by the CIA which conducts its own undeclared strikes in Somalia.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike (Drone Strike)
Strike Status
Single source claim
Civilian Harm Reported
No
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention that the strike took place in the Bu’aale area. The coordinates for the town of Bu’aale are: 1.251778, 42.575959. Due to limited information and satellite imagery available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

U.S. Forces Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S. Forces
U.S. Forces position on incident
Not yet assessed
U.S. Forces Assessment
Suspected belligerent
U.S. Forces
U.S. Forces position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (1)

Sources (1)