F-16 Airstrike Kills 35 Al-Shabab Militants in Lower Shabelle

Somali National Army forces, supported by the Turkish military, killed 35 al-Shabab militants and wounded more than 20 others during a precision airstrike in the Godey area of the Lower Shabelle region on Tuesday morning.

The operation, which utilized F-16 fighter jets, targeted a clandestine site used by the insurgent group to store weapons and coordinate attacks against civilians.

This strike marks a significant intensification of the federal government’s counter-insurgency campaign, highlighting the increasingly kinetic role Turkey has assumed in Somalia’s security architecture. The deployment of advanced air power, confirmed earlier this year, represents a strategic shift from Ankara’s traditional advisory and training-centric model toward direct combat support.

As al-Shabab continues to maintain a persistent threat across southern and central Somalia, these operations are central to federal efforts to degrade the group’s logistics and prevent the assembly of explosive devices intended for urban centers.