Former Somali corrections chief survives reported drone strike in Gedo region

Friday September 4, 2026

Mogadishu (HOL) — Former Somali Correctional Service Commander Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Shub survived a reported drone strike on his residence in Doolow district of Gedo region on Thursday night, according to local sources and Jubaland officials.

The attack reportedly occurred at about 11:40 p.m., when a missile struck the compound where Shub was staying.

Sources in Doolow who said they were close to the scene reported that the missile landed outside of the house while Shub was inside a fortified part of the residence.

Shub and several people who were with him suffered minor injuries, according to the sources.

He was later taken to a medical facility in Doolow, with reports indicating that plans were underway to transfer him to Dolo, Ethiopia, for further medical care.

Jubaland regional authorities accused Turkish drones of carrying out the attack and said the strike targeted Shub because of his political differences with Somalia’s federal government.

“This barbaric attack directly targeted the house of the former Commander of the Federal Government Correctional Service Mahad Abdirahman Aden, who was targeted by the Federal Government and Turkey solely because of his political differences,” Jubaland said in a statement.

The administration said one of two missiles fired by the aircraft hit the residence of the Doolow district governor.

Jubaland said Shub and four civilians were injured in the attack.

“The city of Doolow, which has been free from insecurity for the past several decades, was hit by missiles in the middle of the night, causing harm to innocent people,” the statement said.

Jubaland described the strike as a war crime and called for accountability from what it described as the outgoing federal administration and the Turkish government.

It accused Türkiye of allowing its aircraft to be used as a tool to target people with opposing political views.

Jubaland also called on the United Nations, African Union, IGAD, the United States and the European Union to closely examine Türkiye’s actions in Somalia, saying they were not in the interest of the Somali people or the wider region.

The administration further urged the United Nations to urgently review its decision to lift the arms embargo on Somalia, saying weapons supplied to the country should remain under responsible and trusted authority.

Jubaland said the strike could damage Türkiye’s role as a mediator in Somalia’s internal political disputes, arguing that Ankara had shown support for one side.

It remains unclear who was behind the strike.

Somalia’s federal government has not yet commented on the allegations.

MP Abdirahman Odawaa condemned the airstrike, saying that if the federal government was involved, it could amount to an unlawful act that threatens Somalia’s sovereignty.

He also warned that the incident could deepen political conflict and further distance parties involved in Somalia’s political disputes.

Former State Minister for Environment and Climate Change Aden Aw Hirsi said that if it is confirmed that the strike was planned by Villa Somalia and carried out using foreign aircraft, it could create a dangerous precedent.

He warned that a future Somali regional administration could seek to use foreign aircraft to target an embassy in Mogadishu or areas where Somali civilians live.

Shub is considered a close ally of former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, whose forces attacked Baidoa on Thursday morning.

South West State’s Council of Ministers had earlier designated forces loyal to Laftagareen as a terrorist group, accusing them of joining al-Shabab.

Laftagareen has rejected the designation, saying forces loyal to him are not linked to al-Shabab and accusing the federal government and South West authorities of politicizing the security situation.

Baidoa, about 245 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu, is a major humanitarian hub and hosts more than half a million people displaced by conflict and drought.