US Forces Accused of 'Stranding Somali Civilians' in the Region...

Mogadishu (Caasimada Online) — The American forces have been accused of carrying out airstrikes in southern Somalia that force civilians to flee and isolate themselves around the Jubba River, while the Deyr rains pose a serious flood threat to those areas, according to The Guardian newspaper.

“The airstrikes are forcing people to move closer to the river. It is a very strong attack by El Niño turning into a weapon, pushing the public into areas threatened by flooding,” a person who wished to remain anonymous told the newspaper following the situation on the ground near the Jubba River.

However, the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) has denied these allegations.

“AFRICOM does not target civilians, nor does it conduct operations aimed at displacing the public, and it does not use weather or floods as a combat method,” a spokesperson for the command told the newspaper.

The spokesperson added that U.S. forces target military objectives that are legally permissible and take feasible steps to minimize civilian harm.

The report also raised concerns about military matters being used in flood mapping data intended for humanitarian operations.

Jethro Norman, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, stated that if that data is used to harm people, it means that tools intended for civilian protection are being misused against them.

Caasimada Online si madax-bannaan uma xaqiijin eedeymahan iyo dhacdooyinka ay dadka deegaanku sheegeen.

Rayidka go’doonsan

Dad ku nool deegaannada ay Al-Shabaab maamusho oo la hadlay The Guardian ayaa sheegay in duulimaadyada joogtada ah ee diyaaradaha aan duuliyaha lahayn iyo duqeymaha cirka ay xaddideen dhaqdhaqaaqooda, xilli biyaha fatahaaduhu sare u kacayeen.

Cayni Cali, oo ah hooyo 27 jir ah oo leh lix carruur ah, ayaa sheegtay in gurigeeda magaalada Jilib uu webiga Jubba u jiro shan mitir oo keliya. Waxay sheegtay in biyo dhexda gaaraya iyo weerarro soo noqnoqday ay dadka u diideen inay baxsadaan.

“Diyaaradaha aan duuliyaha lahayn mar walba way yimaadaan. Si joogto ah ayaan u maqalnaa. Waxay dilaan xoolo iyo dad rayid ah. Magaaladu waa weyn tahay, laakiin burburku meel walba ayuu yaallaa,” ayay u sheegtay wargeyska.

Farxaan Axmed, oo 35 jir ah kana qaxay Jilib bishii Sebtembar, ayaa wargeyska u sheegay in hal duqeyn ay dhulka la sintay shan guri oo ku yaalla xaafaddiisa. Wuxuu sheegay inuu arkay meydad waddooyinka yaalla. Faadumo Cabdi ayaa iyaduna sheegtay in qaar ka mid ah dadka dhintay la aasay, halka kuwo kalena aan la aasin.

Yuusuf Siidi, oo 27 jir ah kana soo jeeda deegaanka Araare ee u dhow Jamaame, ayaa sheegay inuu arkay saddex dhallinyaro ah oo duqeyn lagu dilay.

Maryan Salaax ayaa iyaduna ka warrantay dhacdo kale oo gabal bir ah oo gubanaya, dhererkiisuna yahay 20 sentimitir, uu ku soo dhacay daaradda gurigeeda, meel u dhow gabadheeda oo laba jir ah. Waxay sheegtay in birtu ka dhalatay weerar diyaarad aan duuliye lahayn.

Maryan did not mention an exact date, but she indicated that the incident occurred in mid-March. The Guardian noted that AFRICOM announced an airstrike near Jamaame on March 19, however, it did not confirm that it was the same incident that Maryan referred to.

The newspaper also reported that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) treated 205 people with weapon-related injuries in Kismayo this year, which is more than 43 percent of the figure for 2025. This statistic does not clarify how many were injured in the airstrikes.

Dispute over the number of airstrikes

The Guardian compared local accounts claiming that attacks occur almost daily with the data released by AFRICOM. According to the newspaper, the command acknowledged one airstrike that took place in Jilib in August and six others in September.

AFRICOM declined to provide the newspaper with details about potential civilian casualties, citing operational security. It stated that it does not have a number of classified airstrikes and that it announces all airstrikes conducted in Somalia under its command.

Turkey is also conducting drone operations against Al-Shabaab in Somalia, but it rarely provides details, as the newspaper noted.

An earlier investigation published by The Guardian in June indicated that a U.S. airstrike carried out in Jamaame on November 15, 2025, killed at least 12 civilians, including eight children.

However, AFRICOM told Al Jazeera on October 20 that its assessment did not confirm that U.S. forces were responsible for the civilian casualties reported from that incident.

Jilib, one of the main bases of Al-Shabaab linked to Al-Qaeda, is located in low-lying land prone to flooding. The El Niño floods of 2023 have displaced approximately 1.2 million people in Somalia.

The Risk of Flooding

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned in September that the likelihood of above-average rainfall could reach 90 percent in many parts of central and southern Somalia during the Deyr season from October to December. However, it clarified that this forecast does not mean that flooding is certain.

The agency stated that rainfall falling on the highlands from which the rivers originate, including Ethiopia, could increase the waters of the Jubba and Shabelle, even when rainfall within Somalia decreases.

Cali Aadan Cali, the chairman of the displacement affairs in Jubaland, told The Guardian that fewer boats could cause thousands of people to be stranded in the eastern river area, preventing them from reaching aid in Kismaayo.

The newspaper added that Cali identified 327 areas prone to flooding, but by October, the warnings had reached only about half of that.

Floods could also worsen the hunger crisis, as aid agencies grapple with a lack of funding. An assessment released by the Somali government and the United Nations on September 23 predicted that 5.4 million people will face emergency or worse levels of food insecurity from October to December.