US Africa Command on Wednesday announced that its forces conducted an airstrike in Somalia’s northern Sanag region on September 13, the same day locals say a prominent clan elder was killed by a drone strike in the area.
According to Somali media reports, Abdullahi Omar Abdi was killed while traveling toward Badhan, a town administered by the semi-autonomous Puntland region. AFRICOM said that the airstrike was launched near Badhan and claimed it targeted an al-Shabaab arms dealer, but according to Hiiraan Online, relatives of Abdi deny that he has any ties to al-Shabaab.
In comments to the Somali Guardian, a regional elder described Abdi as a “respected figure involved in peacebuilding and mediation. There is no clear reason why he would be targeted militarily.” The report noted that airstrikes are rare in the Sanag region while the US frequently launches them in the neighboring Bari region, where the US is backing local Puntland forces in a war against an ISIS affiliate.
Somali Guardian also reported that the killing of Abdi sparked protests and that locals were blaming the UAE, which occasionally launched airstrikes in Somalia. Locals tied Abdi’s killing to his opposition to a controversial deal between Puntland authorities and the UAE that would grant Abu Dhabi access to the region’s gold and mineral resources.
Locals and regional police reported that Abdi’s car was hit with three missiles and that he was traveling alone at the time of the attack. AFRICOM shared no details about the strike other than claiming it targeted an al-Shabaab weapons dealer. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said.
Antiwar.com asked AFRICOM if it was aware of the reports of a clan leader being killed and asked if it would investigate if civilians were harmed in the strike, and has yet to receive a reply. The US has dramatically increased its airstrikes in Somalia this year, both against the ISIS affiliate in Puntland and against al-Shabaab in central and southern Somalia.
The September 13 strike marks at least the 78th US airstrike in Somalia so far this year. The Trump administration has shattered the previous record for annual US airstrikes in Somalia, which President Trump set at 63 in 2019 during his first term.
