Jamamr, Lower Jubba – An airstrike hit the outskirts of Jamame in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region on Sunday, jolting a town that has spent years under Al-Shabaab’s grip. Residents described a sudden blast that echoed across farmland south of the river, sending people rushing indoors as dust rose over the tree line.
Hours later, uncertainty still clouded the incident. No authority—regional or federal—had stepped forward to clarify who carried out the strike or what the intended target may have been. The silence left many in Jamame uneasy, unsure whether the strike marked a one-off intervention or the beginning of a broader operation in the area.
The attack came shortly after Jubbaland forces conducted security operations in the forested stretches north of Kismayo, where fighters often move between rural hideouts. Those daytime sweeps reportedly focused on clearing routes and disrupting local militant activity. Though there was no official indication that the two events were connected, the timing raised questions about whether Sunday’s airstrike was part of a coordinated push to pressure Al-Shabaab positions deeper inland.
In Jamame, the tension was palpable. Families kept children close, waiting for word from relatives in nearby villages. Some residents spoke of livestock scattering after the blast, and others recalled the sudden quiet that followed—a stillness that often precedes more conflict in a region accustomed to abrupt shifts in security.
With officials withholding comment and details slow to emerge, people in Lower Jubba are once again left to navigate fear and speculation on their own. The airstrike may have lasted only moments, but its impact lingered, deepening the sense of fragility that defines life in one of Somalia’s most contested corners.