DOOLOW, Somalia – (Axadle) — A night of explosions in Somalia’s Gedo region has deepened tensions between Mogadishu and Jubbaland, after the regional administration accused Turkey of conducting airstrikes in Doolow district and said a drone attack hit the home of General Mahad Abdirahman, known as Taliye Shub, the former commander of Somalia’s Custodial Corps.
According to Jubbaland, General Abdirahman was inside the residence with members of his family when the blasts took place. The administration said they suffered minor injuries and were later transferred to a secure location to receive medical care.
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The Somali federal government rejected any role in the incident and presented a sharply different version of events. Officials in Mogadishu said early information collected by security agencies suggested the explosions resulted from materials being prepared inside the house, not from an airstrike launched from outside. The government’s account could not immediately be independently verified.
Jubbaland officials further alleged that a second missile landed near the residence of the Doolow district commissioner, though they did not immediately provide additional details. The administration portrayed the episode as a dangerous escalation of foreign military involvement in Somalia’s domestic political disputes, warning that what it described as Turkish military backing for President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud could place the country’s fragile stability and recovery at greater risk.
The conflicting accounts have not been independently verified. There was also no immediate independent confirmation of Turkey’s alleged involvement or of the Somali government’s explanation for the explosions.
The regional administration also urged the United Nations to review its decision to lift Somalia’s arms embargo and said it would no longer view Turkey as a credible mediator in Somalia’s internal political disputes.
The reported incident carries added sensitivity because of Doolow’s role as a major humanitarian hub. The border town shelters large numbers of people displaced by climate-related crises and hosts a significant United Nations humanitarian presence, raising concerns over the security of displaced communities and aid workers operating in the area.
The allegations have surfaced against the backdrop of widening political friction between the federal government in Mogadishu and the Jubbaland administration, alongside Turkey’s growing security and political footprint in Somalia.
