Al Jazeera: US strikes in Somalia surge as families recount their suffering

An Al Jazeera report from Mogadishu says US strikes on Somalia reached 84 by September 2026. Families in the south describe wounded children and lost relatives, while AFRICOM does not accept responsibility for civilian deaths.

An Al Jazeera report from Mogadishu says the pace of US airstrikes in Somalia has risen sharply during President Donald Trump's second term, while families in the south describe killings, injuries and displacement without receiving any answers.

According to US Africa Command (AFRICOM) records, the number of strikes reached 84 by the end of September 2026, while the New America foundation counted 88. Airwars says the current pace is about four times that under Biden.

Wounded children, mothers without answers

An MQ-9 Reaper drone in flight (illustrative, file)

In Jamaame, Maryam Haji Abdi Guled said three of her six children were wounded and that a shrapnel fragment near the hip of her 7-year-old son Abdiqadir could not be removed because of the risk of paralysis; she had also refused a recommendation to amputate his leg. Farmer Nuur Ali Nuur said his wife was left paralyzed, while Ali Aden Borrow lost his pregnant wife and their unborn child.

AFRICOM confirmed strikes in the area on Nov. 14 and 15, 2025, but said the evidence of 10 to 12 civilian deaths did not meet its standard for holding US strikes responsible. A UN-led monitoring network had recorded 12 civilians killed and 22,800 displaced.

Clan elder killed in Puntland

In Badhan, in the Puntland region, clan elder Omar Abdullahi was killed in a strike on Sept. 13, 2025. AFRICOM later described him as an al-Shabab arms dealer, while local authorities said he had no criminal record. Somali Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi told parliament he could have been questioned instead of killed.