Mogadishu (AX) — A reported drone strike on the Doolow residence of former Somali Correctional Service commander Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Shub has drawn sharp condemnation from former presidents Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, who warned that the incident could further fracture Somalia’s already strained political landscape.
In separate statements issued Friday, the two former leaders demanded accountability and urged authorities to establish who was responsible for the attack.
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Farmaajo said the strike on the residence of Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden Shub represented a setback for Somalia’s state-building and reconciliation efforts.
“The heinous attack on the residence of General Mahad Abdirahman Aden, who has served the Somali nation for a long time, is a blow to the country’s state-building and reconciliation efforts of the Somali people, and it is a barbaric act that we must reject with a united voice,” Farmaajo said.
He accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, whose mandate he said had expired, of pursuing political opponents.
“It is a rare incident for a president whose term has ended to target politicians with different views, and this cruel step will return the country to the increasing division that has damaged the trust of the Somali people,” Farmaajo said.
Farmaajo argued that the crisis in South West State was political in nature and should be addressed through negotiations and reconciliation rather than force.
“The problems in the South West State are political and need to be resolved through dialogue and reconciliation, and their solution cannot come through political assassination,” he said. “I call for an immediate and independent investigation into the attack targeting General Mahad Abdirahman Aden.”
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed likewise denounced the incident, calling it an attempted assassination targeting Gen. Mahad.
The former president directly blamed the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for the attack.
Sharif characterized the incident as part of what he called a carefully organized political conspiracy and appealed to security agencies to stay out of Somalia’s political disputes.
He also condemned the casualties reported after the airstrike, cautioning that such operations could intensify political tensions and undermine international confidence in efforts to rebuild Somalia’s security institutions.
Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden, a former member of Somalia’s 11th Parliament and former commander of the Somali Correctional Service, survived with minor injuries, according to Jubaland State. Four civilians, including his wife, were also injured.
Jubaland’s Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in a statement that Turkish military aircraft carried out the overnight operation, striking Mahad’s residence.
The regional administration said two missiles were fired, with one hitting the residence of the chairman of Doolow district.
Jubaland described the attack as a war crime and demanded accountability from Somalia’s federal government and Türkiye.
Somalia’s federal government has denied any role in the incident.
In a statement released Friday, the Ministry of Information said preliminary reports from security agencies suggested the explosions might have resulted from explosives being prepared inside the house.
The federal government said it would establish a fact-finding committee to investigate what happened, determine the motive and identify those responsible.
The reported strike comes as political and security tensions surrounding South West State continue to rise.
Shub is regarded as 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 previously designated forces loyal to Laftagareen as a terrorist group, alleging that they had joined al-Shabab.
Laftagareen rejected the designation, insisting that his forces had no links to al-Shabab and accusing the federal government and South West authorities of politicizing the security situation.
