Somalia: Jubaland Accuses Türkiye of Carrying Out Doolow Airstrike

By: Hanah Olson, Horndiplomat Global Reporter

Nairobi, Kenya , Sept. 4, 2026 — Somalia’s **Jubaland administration accused Türkiye **on Friday of carrying out an airstrike on a residential compound in Doolow, in the Gedo region, sharply escalating tensions over Ankara’s expanding military role in the country.

In a statement, Jubaland said Turkish military aircraft fired three missiles at the home of Brigadier General Mahad Abdirahman Adan known as General Shub, a former commander of Somalia’s Custodial Corps. One missile also struck the residence of Doolow district commissioner Mohamed Hussein Abdi, it said.

Adan and four civilians were wounded in the attack, according to the statement. The casualty figures and the circumstances surrounding the explosions could not be independently verified.

Jubaland described the alleged strike as a “barbaric” act and accused Somalia’s federal government and Türkiye of targeting Adan because of his political differences with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration.

There was no immediate public response from Türkiye to the accusation. Somalia’s federal government had also not publicly confirmed Turkish involvement at the time of publication.

“Türkiye will no longer be regarded as a country capable of contributing to mediation and reconciliation in Somalia’s internal affairs,” Jubaland said, accusing Ankara of openly supporting one side of the country’s political dispute.

The administration said the alleged attack threatened Somalia’s security, recovery and political stability and risked deepening divisions between the federal government and its domestic opponents.

Jubaland called on the United Nations, African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, United States and European Union to investigate what it described as Türkiye’s growing involvement in Somalia’s internal political confrontations.

It also urged the U.N. Security Council to reconsider its December 2023 decision lifting the arms embargo on Somalia, arguing that military equipment supplied to combat armed groups could instead be deployed against political opponents and civilians.

The former South West administration separately condemned the Doolow incident and alleged that a Turkish drone had targeted the general’s residence, according to Shabelle Media Network.

The attack comes amid a widening political confrontation between Mohamud’s federal government and regional and opposition leaders. An analysis published by Garowe Online said the Doolow incident risked pushing the dispute into a more dangerous military phase.

Türkiye is one of Somalia’s most influential foreign partners and maintains its largest overseas military training facility in Mogadishu. It has trained thousands of Somali soldiers and, in recent months, expanded its direct operational support against the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets have previously participated in operations against Al-Shabaab with the Somalia government’s approval. However, the allegation that Turkish aircraft were used against a figure connected to an internal political dispute could intensify scrutiny of Ankara’s involvement and complicate its ability to serve as a mediator between Somalia’s rival political camps.

(Reporting by Horn Diplomat Desk; Editing by Desk)