Somalia Air Strikes: The Devastating Human Toll Amidst US Military Operations

Seven-year-old Abdiqadir Salah displays the scar on his body where doctors removed shrapnel following fighting involving United States air strikes near Jamaame, Somalia, in November 2025. His mother, Maryam Haji Abdi Guled, still accompanies him to school, fearing that a playful shove could dislodge the fragment near his hip, a move doctors warn could lead to paralysis. "I hold his hand, take him to school, and I bring him back myself. I watch over him," she told Al Jazeera. Abdiqadir was injured during a November 2025 military offensive that included US air strikes and Somali ground forces around Jamaame, in Somalia’s southern Jubaland state. Maryam is one of several survivors whose accounts to Al Jazeera detail deaths, displacement, lost livelihoods, and life-altering injuries sustained during the offensive.

These testimonies emerge as US air operations against armed rebel groups in Somalia have significantly intensified under President Donald Trump. Public records from the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) indicate 84 strikes in Somalia through September 2026, with the New America Foundation documenting 88 over the same period. The US military confirmed conducting air strikes on November 14 and 15, 2025, but disputes claims of civilian casualties. AFRICOM stated its assessment of reports alleging civilian deaths and property destruction in Jamaame did not meet the threshold for confirming US air strikes as the cause. This finding does not preclude harm but signifies that evidence did not establish a more likely than not connection to US operations. AFRICOM did not confirm if survivors or witnesses were interviewed for its assessment, but noted the assessment could be reopened with new information. These findings contrast with survivor accounts and independent monitoring reports documenting civilian deaths and displacement.

Maryam recalls the morning aircraft appeared over Jamaame, a common sight that had become normalized. Her children ran outside towards the noise, followed by Maryam, when a munition struck nearby, followed by more explosions. She believes US drones circling the town before the bombardment were responsible. Ugaas Ahmed Ugaas Said Ali, a Bimaal clan chief, noted that the suffering extends beyond those who left Jamaame, with many injured individuals unable to reach Mogadishu for care. Maryam's experience included separated children, with three of her six wounded, including Abdiqadir, who suffered the most severe injuries. The journey to Mogadishu took over 24 hours, with her son bleeding and in pain.

Jubaland authorities reported that Somali government and regional forces, including the US-trained Danab commando unit, launched operations against al-Shabab positions, claiming at least 56 fighters killed and 20 captured. Al Jazeera could not independently verify these figures. AFRICOM declined to disclose strike details, citing operational security. Witnesses reported the bombardment came without warning, and some residents feared reprisals for discussing losses. A UNHCR-led monitoring network documented 12 civilian deaths and 22,800 people fleeing Jamaame and surrounding villages between November 16 and 18, 2025, citing damage to infrastructure and psychological distress.

For farmer Ali Aden Borrow, the offensive led to the death of his wife, who was nine months pregnant, and their unborn child due to debris from what he described as an air strike. His three surviving children now live with their grandmother, and Ali struggles with debt to support them. Farmer Nuur Ali Nuur's wife was left paralysed from the waist down after debris from an air strike struck her lower body and right hand, with their youngest daughter also slightly injured. Neighbours assisted his wife, but Nuur faced financial difficulties in seeking advanced medical care.

Anna Zahn from Airwars highlighted that the consequences of air strikes can be long-lasting, with injuries often under-reported in Somalia due to costly and prolonged treatment, compounded by damaged infrastructure. Previous research by PAX in Jubaland documented chronic injuries, lost livelihoods, displacement, and psychological trauma following alleged US air strikes. AFRICOM presented accounts from Maryam, Ali, and Nuur but did not provide supporting evidence for its assessment, citing classified intelligence. It also did not confirm direct testimony from affected families. Zahn noted that some disclosed strikes lacked local reporting, and attributing harm to specific forces could be difficult. AFRICOM has previously revised findings on civilian casualties after initially reporting no harm. When civilian harm is confirmed, AFRICOM considers responses like acknowledgement, apology, or compensation, with up to $3 million annually available under US legislation for such cases.

Regarding a strike near Badhan on September 13, 2025, that killed Omar Abdullahi, whom AFRICOM identified as an al-Shabab arms dealer, Puntland’s Criminal Investigation Department stated Abdullahi had no criminal record. Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi contested the targeting. AFRICOM’s civilian-harm assessment for this strike did not meet the “more likely than not” threshold. AFRICOM did not directly answer questions about the evidence for Abdullahi’s alleged affiliation or a review of the targeting decision. AFRICOM distinguishes between deliberate and defensive strikes, with a broad definition of combatants that includes those providing material support, raising concerns about civilian targeting risks. The US states its strikes are coordinated with Somalia’s federal government, which did not respond to requests for comment.

The number of US strikes in Somalia has increased significantly under President Trump, with Airwars data documenting at least 216 civilians killed or wounded between 2007 and May 2025. US air operations, initially targeting al-Qaeda-linked fighters in 2007, have expanded to support Somali forces against al-Shabab and the ISIL affiliate. Under Trump, restrictions on authorizing air strikes were loosened, granting more approval authority to military commanders. General Dagvin Anderson welcomed this increased flexibility for faster responses. Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also acknowledged the ease of US military support during the Trump administration. US officials maintain that al-Shabab poses a direct threat to American interests. However, the expansion of air operations has not eliminated al-Shabab, which has regained territory. David Sterman of the New America Foundation noted a shift in US operations from the ISIL affiliate to al-Shabab in southern Somalia. National security official Ahmed Suleiman Hussein suggested that civilian harm from air strikes could create grievances exploited by armed groups for propaganda and recruitment. Somalia's national civilian-protection policy needs consistent integration into counterterrorism operations.

For Maryam, the Jamaame offensive has irrevocably altered her family's life. Fleeing to the countryside with her injured children, she eventually made the arduous journey to Mogadishu for treatment. Doctors warned that removing the shrapnel from Abdiqadir's hip carried risks of death or paralysis. After refusing to sign waivers and rejecting a recommendation for amputation, Abdiqadir underwent surgery in September 2026, funded partly by The Guardian, where two pieces of shrapnel were removed, but one remains due to the paralysis risk. Maryam remains in Mogadishu for his ongoing care, unable to return to her former life in Jamaame due to the lack of medical facilities and lingering insecurity.