BAIDOA, Somalia — September 10, 2026 — Residents of several villages outside Baidoa demonstrated on Thursday, accusing Turkey of conducting overnight airstrikes near Labaatan Jirow in support of forces aligned with Somali Parliament Speaker Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe. Neither Turkey nor Somalia’s federal government has confirmed responsibility for the reported strikes.

The protest followed reports that several missiles struck areas approximately 20 kilometres from Baidoa, the administrative capital of South West State.

Local residents said they awoke to find large craters at locations near their villages. They alleged that the missiles landed in civilian-populated areas, although the intended targets and the number of weapons used remained unknown.

Footage provided from the area appeared to show residents gathered outdoors and condemning the bombardment. The precise location and recording date of the footage could not be independently verified.

Demonstrators accused the Turkish government of conducting the strikes to assist Aden Madobe’s camp in its political and military confrontation with forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.

Turkey and Somalia’s federal government had not publicly addressed the accusations at the time of publication.

Casualties and Civilian Impact

No deaths or injuries have been confirmed from the reported bombardment.

Residents reported damage around the affected locations, including large craters they said were caused by missiles. Independent journalists and investigators have not gained access to the sites to examine the damage or determine what type of weapons were used.

The absence of verified casualty information has added to uncertainty among communities living outside Baidoa. Residents have called for an investigation to identify the force responsible and establish whether civilian property was damaged.

Political and Security Context

The accusations come amid escalating tensions between the federal government-backed administration in Baidoa and forces aligned with Laftagareen.

Aden Madobe has emerged as a central figure in the administration based in Baidoa following a deepening dispute over political control of South West State. Laftagareen’s supporters, meanwhile, continue to challenge the legitimacy of the current arrangement and maintain an armed presence outside the city.

On September 3, fighting on Baidoa’s outskirts left at least one civilian dead and 71 people wounded, according to officials at Bay Regional Hospital.

The Somali Defence Ministry alleged that Al-Shabaab participated in the attack alongside opposition fighters. Laftagareen’s camp denied links to the militant group, and the government’s allegation was not independently verified.

Earlier, on August 17, armed fighters attacked government positions around Baidoa, triggering hours of intense combat. Officials at Bay Regional Hospital reported that at least four civilians were killed and 98 others wounded.

Federal forces later regained control of the affected sections of Baidoa. The confrontations increased fears for civilians in surrounding villages, where federal troops, opposition forces and Al-Shabaab militants operate across contested rural territory.

Turkey’s Military Role in Somalia

Turkey is one of Somalia’s main security partners and operates a large military training facility in Mogadishu. Turkish personnel have trained thousands of Somali soldiers, including members of specialised units deployed against Al-Shabaab.

Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones have also supported Somali military operations. Authorities do not always disclose whether Somali or Turkish personnel control the aircraft during particular missions.

Somalia receives aerial surveillance and strike support from other international partners, including the United States. This makes independent confirmation necessary before responsibility for any individual airstrike can be established.

In March 2024, two strikes during a Somali military operation near Bagdad village in Lower Shabelle killed 23 civilians, including 14 children and five women, according to an Amnesty International investigation. Seventeen other civilians were injured.

Amnesty said Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones supported the operation and called for the incident to be investigated as a possible war crime. The organisation said it could not determine whether Turkish or Somali personnel were operating the aircraft.

The Somali government said the operation killed more than 30 Al-Shabaab militants and did not acknowledge the civilian casualty figures reported by Amnesty.

In August 2026, an airstrike near Garmaal in Puntland’s Nugaal region reportedly killed four people after pirates hijacked a vessel carrying Turkish weapons. Turkish drones and helicopters had been observed near the seized ship, but responsibility for the strike and the identities of those killed were not independently established.

Residents near Labaatan Jirow are seeking a formal explanation from Somalia’s federal government and Turkish authorities.

An independent investigation would need to examine the impact sites, collect witness testimony and identify any missile fragments before responsibility could be reliably established.

The allegation that the strikes were conducted to support Aden Madobe remains unverified. Limited access to the affected villages could delay confirmation of the targets, casualties and military force involved.

The accusations risk increasing public opposition to foreign military involvement in Somalia, particularly when air operations occur without immediate disclosure of their targets or the forces responsible.