Revisiting the hidden US war in Somalia

The US military has acknowledged five civilian casualties from air attacks in Somalia. Civilians say the toll is higher.

An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flies by during a training mission at Creech Air Force Base on November 17, 2015 in Indian Springs, Nevada.
An MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flies by during a training mission at Creech Air Force Base on November 17, 2015 in Indian Springs, Nevada. [Isaac Brekken/Getty Images]

The United States redeployed its ground troops in small numbers to Somalia in May 2022, but its air war has been going on for much longer. For 12 years, the US denied any civilian casualties from air attacks, admitting just five deaths so far. In this episode, we hear from three people who uncovered the reality of the civilian death toll and laid the disconnect bare.

In this episode:

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Alexandra Locke. The original production team was Alexandra Locke, Amy Walters, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Dina Kesbeh, Natalia Aldana, Stacey Samuel, Graelyn Brashear, and Kevin Hirten in for Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

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Source: Al Jazeera