MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – At least 12 civilians, including eight children, have been killed in a suspected US military airstrike near the southern Somali town of Jamame in the Lower Juba region, local media reported on Sunday. Nine others were wounded.
The dead included eight children, three women and an elderly man. All nine of those injured were also civilians. The incident marks one of the deadliest airstrikes on non-combatants reported in Somalia in recent months.
No one has claimed responsibility for the strike. However, at the time, US-trained Danab special forces were conducting operations against the Al-Qaeda-linked group Al-Shabaab in villages around Jamame. Danab units often receive American air support during such operations.
The latest incident adds to growing concern over civilian casualties linked to air operations by Somalia’s international partners. Rights monitors say the number of non-combatants killed in US, Turkish and UAE strikes has risen sharply in recent years.
Among the deadliest was a Turkish drone strike near Afgoye on 18 March 2024, when more than two dozen civilians praying Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan were reported killed.
Civilian harm has also been reported during US and UAE operations targeting Islamic State-aligned militants in northern Somalia, though many incidents remain poorly documented.
Activists say lethal force is not limited to air raids. Ground forces, including the US-trained Danab unit and troops serving under the African Union mission (AUSSOM), have also been accused of abuses.
Last week, residents in Bal’ad district, 30km north of Mogadishu, reported that members of Danab were involved in the killing of a farming family.
“Sources US-trained and supported Danab forces have massacred farming family in Balcad district last week. Three were murdered including 2- and 3-year-olds. Others were injured, some severely. Pressure tactics being exerted on survivors & loved ones to hush up,” Somali social media activist Adan Abdulle said on Sunday.
“This is not the first time US or US-trained forces have murdered innocent civilians in cold-blood. What makes this latest murders standout is the callousness with which pressure was exerted on grieving families to keep quiet.”
Neither the Somali government nor US Africa Command (Africom) has publicly commented on the reported incidents.
US authorities have previously said they take extensive measures to prevent civilian harm and investigate any credible allegations. Human rights groups argue that transparency remains limited and that families rarely receive acknowledgement or compensation.
Somalia’s government has relied heavily on international air power in its campaign against Al-Shabaab, which controls large swathes of rural areas and continues to carry out deadly attacks in major towns.
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