A recent U.S. Africa Command airstrike in Somalia is being investigated by local authorities after claims that a village elder was killed as a result of erroneous targeting. AFRICOM said Sept. 18, 2025, that it had no further information to provide about the weekend airstrike. (U.S. Africa Command)






Authorities in Somalia are investigating the circumstances surrounding a recent U.S. airstrike after claims that a village elder killed in the operation was wrongly targeted, according to a major Somali news outlet and other domestic media.


U.S. Africa Command launched airstrikes Saturday against an al-Shabab weapons dealer in the town of Badhan in southern Somalia, an AFRICOM statement Wednesday said.


The joint American and Somali force “continues to take action to degrade” the militant group, AFRICOM said in a statement. Al-Shabab has been waging an insurgency for decades against Somalia’s shaky central government, which receives U.S. military assistance.


However, the weekend operation has sparked accusations by relatives of respected tribal elder Omar Abdillahi Abdi Ibrahim that he was wrongly targeted in the attack.


Puntland police have opened an investigation into his death, several Somali news outlets reported this week.


Abdi was a member of a committee working on community development initiatives in the area and was at odds with various regional authorities, prominent online Somali news outlet Hiiraan reported Wednesday.


Family members told Hiiraan that Abdi had no ties to al-Shabab.


AFRICOM said Thursday in response to questions regarding the killing that it had no further information to offer.


Over the past several months, AFRICOM has stepped up its airstrike campaign in Somalia. It has launched more than 70 strikes there so far this year, more than in any other year in the command’s nearly 20-year history.


Nevertheless, al-Shabab remains firmly entrenched. Furthermore, the Islamic State group’s Somalia branch has emerged as a separate threat in the country’s north, becoming a frequent target of AFRICOM airstrikes.