General Shub Breaks His Silence on Doolow Attack

Nairobi (WDN) — General Mahad Abdirahman Adan, better known as Taliye Shub, has broken his silence over the attack on his residence in Doolow, delivering a dramatic account of the moments before the explosion that injured him and plunged an already tense political crisis into a new controversy.

The former commander of Somalia’s Custodial Corps says he saw an F-16 fighter aircraft overhead shortly before a powerful explosion struck the house where he was staying in Doolow, Gedo region. Speaking on the Geed Fadhi programme, General Shub rejected suggestions that the explosion originated from explosives being prepared inside the residence.

“At around midnight, I became aware of an F-16 aircraft above me. I do not know how explosives are assembled, but those who have been trained to make explosives are in Mogadishu,” Shub said.

His account directly challenges the explanation previously attributed to the Federal Government, which denied carrying out an airstrike and said preliminary security information indicated that explosives inside the house may have caused the blast.

The competing accounts have left one of the most politically sensitive attacks in Somalia in recent weeks surrounded by unanswered questions: What struck General Shub’s residence? Who ordered the operation? And why was a former senior Somali security commander targeted in Doolow?

Shub Points to Political Pressure

General Shub also revealed details of his exchanges with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, describing political pressure over his position and his relationship with opponents of the Federal Government.

According to Shub, he was questioned about his opposition to the Federal Government and his political alignment with Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni, one of Mogadishu’s most prominent political critics.

The disclosure gives the Doolow incident an additional political dimension, particularly because Shub has been publicly associated with forces and political figures opposed to Mogadishu’s approach to the South West crisis.

Opposition figures and Jubaland officials have previously accused the Federal Government and Turkish-supported military capabilities of involvement in the Doolow attack. Those allegations have not been independently verified, while the Federal Government has denied responsibility. Turkish authorities have also not publicly confirmed that Turkish aircraft carried out the strike.

A Strike—or an Explosion From Inside?

The circumstances surrounding the attack remain sharply disputed. Local sources and Jubaland officials initially reported that a drone or aircraft struck the compound shortly before midnight, injuring General Shub and several others.

General Shub has now gone further, specifically identifying the aircraft he says he saw as an F-16. Former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen has also alleged that F-16 aircraft were involved in attacks in Doolow and areas around Baidoa. His administration has accused Turkey of involvement, while those allegations remain unverified.

The Federal Government, however, has rejected the airstrike narrative and offered a fundamentally different explanation for the explosion. That leaves a crucial question still unanswered: was Doolow the scene of an aerial attack, or did an explosion occur inside the residence as the government has suggested?

From Security Incident to Political Flashpoint

Whatever the final explanation, the Doolow incident has rapidly evolved from a local security episode into a national political flashpoint.

General Shub survived the attack, but his allegations have reopened questions about the use of military force in Somalia’s increasingly bitter political disputes. The incident has also intensified scrutiny of foreign military involvement in Somalia and the potential use of externally supplied military capabilities in conflicts involving Somali political actors.

The stakes are particularly high because the attack occurred against the backdrop of escalating confrontation between Mogadishu and political forces in South West State, as well as wider disputes involving Puntland, Jubaland and opposition leaders.

For General Shub, the account is unequivocal: he says he saw an F-16 above his residence before the explosion. For the Federal Government, the explanation is entirely different.

Between those two accounts lies a question that remains unresolved—and one that demands credible, independent answers: What exactly happened at General Shub’s house in Doolow that night?