A recent US drone strike in Somalia on New Years day has left several lingering questions. As we reported a strike occurred on the evening of January 1st targeting an Al Shabaab linked FM radio station. 

Later that night, Radio Al- Furqan released a statement addressing the US drone raid on its compound and distanced itself from any political or Islamist affiliations. Ironically the same exact message was posted on the pro Al Shabaab website dubbed Somali Memo the following day.

However a new press release today from Radio Al-Furqaan blasted the US for the strike targeting there compound and accused the US of intentionally trying to silence them and dislodge there operations in the country, in a futile attempt to cover up the war crimes and atrocities in Somalia carried out by the US as a result of there drone campaign. 

Photos circulating on the web showing the aftermath of the US drone strike targeting Radio Al- Furqaan went viral after the pro Al Shabaab website dubbed Somali Memo released pictures showing the aftermath of the intense US aerial bombardment and claimed several civilians where hurt in the strike.

AFRICOM had its say by releasing aerial footage of the strike as it unfolded, which showed missiles hitting the compound housing Radio Al-Furqaan in the town of Kunyo-Barrow. Per AFRICOM no civilians where hurt in the operation.

Counter claims in any conflict, weather it’s a conventional war or guerrilla warfare is crucial to controlling the narrative and no where is that more prevalent than in Somalia as the warring sides use the media to convey and validate there message.

Therefore the media and journalists alike remain a potent force and an instrumental tool in advancing certain interests and creating an image or view that is intended to portray or label the opponent in the eyes of the masses as a vicious foe whose obliteration is legal and in many cases justified.

However, negative publicity, particularly in regards to mounting civilian casualties is a thorn in the side of the foot that no one can bare and the horrific 14 year long bombing campaign of Somalia carried out by both regional and international powers is case in point.

Take for instance the US, they’ve been carrying out military operations in Somalia since the fall of the central government in 1991, which drastically intensified following the launch of America’s global war on terror.

This led Somalia to become the first nation on the African continent to witness a drone strike first hand under Bush 43, which only intensified under both Obama and Trump as Somalia remained besieged by relentless US aerial bombardment.

For the most part during the past 14 years, the US has been immune from accountability regarding there tax payer funded bombing campaign of Somalia, however as the drone war in Somalia intensified under Trump, it caught the attention of journalists and human rights organizations alike.

Prominent rights groups such as Amnesty International have lambasted the Trump administration for there bombing campaign in Somalia, with going as far as accusing AFRICOM of committing blatant war crimes in the country and even releasing satellite imagery showing bombed out villages that where leveled to the ground by US air power, which is just a small glimpse into America’s scorched earth policies in the region.

Satellite Imagery 1: Aftermath of US drone strike in Somalia, per Amnesty.

Satellite Imagery 2 : Aftermath of US drone strike in Somalia, per Amnesty.

AFRICOM has been facing growing international condemnation linked to there secret and often deadly drone war in Somalia, which many have even compared to the US bombing campaign in Cambodia under the accused war criminal Henry Kissinger.

This has forced AFRICOM to backtrack on previous strikes in Somalia and publicly admit to civilian casualties and even publish quarterly reports outlining there aerial bombardment in Somalia, to maintain a level of accountability.

As of the 11th of December 2020, AFRICOM has begun releasing footage of strikes targeting Al Shabaab in Somalia, with there latest video being released today linked to the New Years day strike on Radio Al-Furqaan. The reason for this is said to be linked to a number of reasons, but most notably the growing civilian casualties piling up from AFRICOM drone raids and the global condemnation from rights groups and journalists alike.

In the long run, the US bombing campaign of Somalia will more than likely continue for many more years to come as the conflict on the ground remains at a stalemate, therefore it’ll be up to both journalists and rights groups alike to keep up the pressure on AFRICOM in order to maintain accountability and more importantly save lives.

Mohamed Abdulkaadir.

Founder & Co-editor of Halgan Media.