Somalia: Reported Turkish Airstrikes Near Baidoa Leave Casualties
BAIDOA, Somalia — Fresh allegations of Turkish airstrikes near Baidoa have raised tensions in Somalia, with casualties reportedly recorded after aircraft struck areas on the city’s outskirts late Saturday.
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Baidoa, the capital of South West State, has become a flashpoint amid intensifying clashes between forces linked to Somalia’s federal government and fighters loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen.
A critic of the federal administration accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Turkey of launching indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Baidoa and nearby areas.
“The hostility that Hassan Sheikh and Turkey have towards the people of South West is demonstrated by the indiscriminate airstrikes they are carrying out against civilians living in Baidoa and its surrounding areas,” he said. “The airstrike that took place last night is another example.”
The reported airstrikes and casualty claims had not been independently verified.
The allegations surfaced days after another blast in Doolow, in the Gedo region, where former Somali Custodial Corps commander General Mahad Abdirahman Aden, commonly known as General Shub, survived an explosion at his residence.
Jubaland authorities blamed Turkish drones for the September 3-4 incident, saying Shub and four civilians sustained injuries. The regional administration said the attack targeted Shub because of his political disagreements with Somalia’s federal government.
Mogadishu rejected any involvement. The federal government said preliminary findings suggested the explosions occurred while explosives were being prepared inside the residence, and announced plans to create a fact-finding committee to investigate.
The aircraft’s operator and the circumstances of the Doolow blast remain unconfirmed. Turkish authorities have not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the incident.
The Doolow episode prompted protests in parts of Gedo, where demonstrators accused Ankara of meddling in Somalia’s internal political affairs. Some protesters burned Turkish flags, underscoring mounting public anger over Turkey’s alleged role in the conflict.
Turkey is a key security partner of Somalia and has supplied the federal government with military training, equipment and other security assistance. But as political divisions widen, Ankara’s expanding military presence is facing greater scrutiny.
The reported Baidoa strikes, together with the unresolved Doolow incident, are expected to deepen debate over the use of foreign military capabilities in Somalia’s internal political and territorial disputes.
Neither the Turkish government nor Somalia’s federal authorities had issued a detailed statement confirming the latest reports from near Baidoa or specifying the number of casualties.
AXADLETM
