Mogadishu, Somalia – Residents of a village near the town of Afgoye report that a U.S.-trained Somali intelligence unit conducted an overnight artillery barrage lasting several hours, resulting in over 30 civilian deaths, numerous injuries, and the near-total destruction of homes in the community.
The shelling targeted Jamlul village, approximately 40 kilometers west of Mogadishu, beginning just after midnight Tuesday and continuing until morning, according to residents who spoke with local media. Many stated the attack occurred while families were asleep and that no combat was happening in the vicinity at that time.
Witnesses described the artillery fire as having “flattened” the village, which had recently accommodated hundreds of families displaced by deteriorating drought conditions in Bay and Bakool regions.
Much of rural Somalia has suffered severe water shortages and pastureland degradation, forcing thousands of pastoralist households to abandon their homes.
Following the bombardment, forces from the Alpha Group – a special-operations unit within Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) that has received U.S. training – arrived at the scene, residents reported.
They said the unit detained several individuals without providing reasons, and the whereabouts of those taken remained unknown as of Thursday.
Somali authorities, communicating through state-linked media, characterized the artillery strikes as part of a “special operation” against Al-Shabaab militants. Officials also indicated there had been clashes in the area. However, residents firmly disputed these assertions, maintaining no militants were present and no fighting preceded the attack.
Local elders and survivors accused security forces of neglecting to evacuate injured civilians or provide medical assistance. They noted that telecommunications services in the village were disabled during the bombardment, preventing injured residents from seeking help. Some victims, they reported, died from blood loss while awaiting transportation to medical facilities.
Medical personnel in Afgoye confirmed more than 100 people were injured, with some transferred to Mogadishu for treatment. On Wednesday night, NISA Director Mahad Salad was filmed visiting wounded civilians in a hospital but did not publicly explain or apologize for the incident.
Residents indicated this week’s attack was not an isolated occurrence. Several villagers informed local reporters that security forces had killed a group of civilians in a neighboring settlement days earlier, an incident they claimed received no media coverage.
The outskirts of Afgoye have witnessed multiple deadly incidents in recent years involving Somali security forces and foreign airstrikes, including those conducted by Turkish and U.S. military assets supporting Somalia’s counterterrorism efforts.
On March 18, 2024, two Turkish airstrikes resulted in over 23 civilian fatalities – including 14 children and five women – according to an Amnesty International investigation that called for a war-crimes inquiry.
A separate strike in the Lower Juba town of Jamaame last month claimed 12 civilian lives, among them eight children, local residents stated. The responsible party for that attack remained unclear, though locals alleged involvement of a U.S. drone.
Air operations by Somalia’s international partners, primarily the United States and Turkiye, along with ground offensives by Somali forces and African Union peacekeepers, have long drawn criticism from human rights organizations.
Communities have expressed that civilians have borne the greatest burden of the conflict, yet few incidents have undergone independent investigation despite the significant death toll and enduring trauma.
