Turkey accused of war crime after drone strike on former Somali commander

On Sep 4, 2026

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – A drone strike tore through the residence of General Mahad Abdirahman, Somalia’s former custodial corps chief, in the border town of Dolow on Thursday, and he survived it – but the attack has ignited a political firestorm, with Jubaland authorities pointing at Turkey and warning that a dangerous new front has opened in Somalia’s fracturing security landscape.

A video circulating online showed the general receiving treatment at a hospital in the Ethiopian side of Dolow, the twin town separated from its Somali counterpart by the border.

A retaliatory strike, hours after Baidoa attack

The strike came only hours after Darwish forces loyal to ousted Southwest State President Abdiasis Laftagaren stormed the city of Baidoa on Thursday morning, overrunning army bases and briefly seizing parts of the city’s neighborhoods before fierce clashes.

General Mahad is reported to be the backbone of Laftagaren’s resistance against the federal government, which seized Baidoa in a late-March offensive backed from the air by the Turkish air force. He is also Laftagaren’s father-in-law and a prominent figure commanding wide support among the population of Baidoa.

The drone strike on his home is reported to be a retaliatory response to Thursday’s assault on Baidoa – a city that has become a battleground since Laftagaren’s ouster, with local forces under new Southwest leader Adan Madobe and federal troops unable to stop the guerrilla-style attacks that keep hitting the town.

“Crossing into a very dangerous territory”

Adam Aw Hirsi, Somalia’s former minister of state for environment and climate change, condemned the strike in sharp terms.

“This is crossing into a very dangerous territory. I do not think the decision to initiate this attack was wise,” he said.

He went further, warning that the episode could set off a cycle of retaliation across Somalia’s fractured political map: “If it is confirmed that foreign drones (Somalia has none) at the behest of @TheVillaSomalia attacked a general’s residence in Dollow, give it less than a year before you hear a drone belonging to an FMS or a clan in hinterland Somalia has struck a foreign embassy in Mogadishu.”

“Foreigners involved in this need to reassess,” he added. “Somalis are a tough nut to scare. And you are not without competition in this game. Calculate the benefit of one man’s one-day thrill against the alienation of an entire people and squandering their goodwill.”

Jubaland points to a Turkish drone, alleges war crime

Jubaland State, which administers Dolow, said the strike was carried out by a Turkish drone. The regional administration described the act as a war crime and said it illustrates the dangerous direction in which President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Turkey are jointly steering Somalia.

Jubaland – which is at odds with Mogadishu and has repeatedly clashed with federal forces – said Turkey cannot position itself as part of international efforts to resolve Somalia’s political crisis while conducting such strikes, and it called on international stakeholders to intervene urgently before the fallout unravels the broader political process.

Former presidents accuse Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of reckless force

Former Somali Presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo both condemned the attack. They accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of using reckless force through foreign powers to pressure his opponents, characterizing the strike as part of a pattern of assassination attempts against political rivals.

Mogadishu distances itself, cites explosives inside the house

The federal government distanced itself from the air raid, saying an initial investigation indicates the blast was triggered by explosives planted inside the house. It did not say whether Turkey carried out the attack.

Turkey itself has not commented on the allegations.

What residents heard and saw

Despite Mogadishu’s denial of a drone strike, residents in Dolow told local media they heard the sound of a drone and saw a flash of light in the sky before a missile, apparently fired from above, struck the ground with a loud bang. They said the drone’s sound was heard again after the strike.

The strike reportedly targeted with precision the room where General Mahad usually sleeps. He was not inside the room when it was hit.

Part of a wider pattern of accusations against Ankara

Turkey has faced mounting accusations in recent months of siding unreservedly with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in his political disputes, a departure from what had long been an international norm under which partners supported Mogadishu on counterterrorism but stayed out of its politicians’ internal disagreements.

Ankara has been accused of carrying out deadly drone strikes against Southwest Darwish forces near Baidoa. It has also been linked to suicide drone strikes on buildings housing former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, which came under attack from federal government forces during two days of fighting in Mogadishu in early June. Turkey was further accused of killing 14 civilians in Puntland State under the stated justification of an anti-piracy operation. Ankara has not commented on any of these accusations.

Analysts warn Somalia risks becoming a foreign battleground

Somali analysts and politicians say the country could soon become a proxy battleground for foreign powers, and that it would not come as a surprise if international partners aligned with various regional states began launching their own drone strikes on government offices in Mogadishu – now that Turkey, in their view, has set the precedent.

Former Somali intelligence chief Fahad Yasin drew a historical parallel, calling the strike as dangerous a turning point as the 2006 car bomb attack on President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed in Baidoa – the first such explosive attack on a Somali official. He said Friday’s drone strike marks the first drone attack on a former Somali security official who had served the state for a long time.

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