Somali families recount lasting injuries and displacement after US air strikes in Jamaame

A year after a US-backed air campaign around Jamaame, Maryam Haji Abdi Guled cares for her son, whose hip contains shrapnel that doctors say cannot be safely removed. She joins other residents who say relatives were killed or left with serious injuries, forcing them to abandon farms and seek aid in Mogadishu. UN-affiliated monitors documented 12 civilian deaths and 22,800 people displaced during the November 2025 fighting.

AFRICOM’s review concluded the available information did not satisfy its “more likely than not” standard for attributing civilian casualties to US strikes, though it did not rule out any harm. Families say the bombardment came without warning, and many have received little assistance, leaving them in debt and uncertain about the future.