US Airstrike Killed 12 Civilians in Somalia, Including 8 Children, in Deadliest 18-Year Toll
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 16
US Airstrike Killed 12 Civilians in Somalia, Including 8 Children, in Deadliest 18-Year Toll
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 16
Summary
At least 12 civilians — including eight children — were killed in a 15 November 2025 US strike on Jamaame, southern Somalia, according to a Guardian investigation reconstructing the attack from witness accounts, images and medical evidence.
Witnesses said missiles hit homes and a Qur'anic school in a family neighborhood where they saw no al-Shabaab presence, while Africom acknowledged striking the area but has not admitted any civilian deaths or identified the intended target.
The report says no investigation appears to have been opened six months later, even though residents counted at least 15 explosions, 18 homes destroyed and repeated strikes after children were already wounded or killed.
The attack came after the Trump administration loosened Somalia drone-strike rules in February 2025, letting Africom generals approve strikes; Acled recorded 123 US airstrikes last year, more than six times the previous year's total.
Bereaved families say neither US nor Somali officials have contacted them, and the strike is likely to deepen scrutiny of a secretive campaign that analysts say has brought little success against al-Shabaab while leaving civilians without accountability.