Key facts
- A US airstrike in Jamaame, Somalia, on November 15, 2025, resulted in at least 12 civilian deaths, including eight children.
- Seven-year-old Abdiqadir Salah was severely injured by shrapnel during the strike and faces potential loss of mobility.
- His family cannot afford the $1,000 surgery required to remove the shrapnel.
- The US has not acknowledged civilian casualties or offered compensation for the attack.
- The strike was part of a joint operation led by the US military's Africa command.
A seven-year-old Somali boy, Abdiqadir Salah, faces the permanent loss of his ability to walk due to shrapnel injuries sustained in a US airstrike six months ago. His family is unable to afford the $1,000 surgery required to remove the fragments lodged near his hip socket and in his thigh. The US airstrike, which occurred in Jamaame on November 15, 2025, killed at least 12 civilians, including eight children, and is considered one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the Trump administration.
Abdiqadir's mother, Marian Haji Abdi Guled, recounted the harrowing experience of the attack, describing drones hovering overhead before missiles rained down, injuring her three children. She managed to flee with them into the countryside, fearing further strikes. Her eldest son, Mohamed, 16, had shrapnel in his fingers, and her daughter, Sumaya, 14, had fragments removed from her head. Abdiqadir's X-rays show shrapnel near his hip socket.
The family has since traveled to Mogadishu in search of medical care. Doctors at Kaafi hospital confirmed the urgent need for surgery to prevent long-term mobility issues for Abdiqadir. However, the family's financial situation makes the operation impossible, compounded by the cost of accommodation in the capital. The US has a policy of not admitting civilian casualties from airstrikes in Somalia and has not provided compensation to affected families. The Pentagon has also reportedly dismantled a program aimed at preventing and responding to civilian deaths.
Guled expressed her despair at being unable to help her children, noting that her husband remained on their farm in Jamaame to protect their crops and also lacks the funds to travel to Mogadishu. While the airstrikes were conducted alongside Somali ground forces, witness testimonies indicate the casualties were caused by drone-dropped bombs, not ground fire. The US Department of War did not respond to detailed questions regarding the airstrikes.