Abdiqadir Salah: Somali Child Injured in US Airstrike Somalia Needs $750 Emergency Surgery to Avoid Losing Ability to Walk

## Introduction A recent Guardian investigation has exposed the dire situation of seven-year-old Somali child Abdiqadir Salah, who was hit by shrapnel in his back and upper thigh during a US airstrike in Somalia targeting the town of Jamaame in November 2025. Abdiqadir needs a $750 emergency surgery to avoid losing his ability to walk, but his family cannot afford the cost, while the US government refuses to acknowledge any civilian casualties or provide civilian casualties compensation to affected families. The airstrike killed at least 12 civilians including 8 children, marking one of the deadliest US attacks on Somali civilians during the Trump administration, and raising serious questions about US airstrikes Somalia accountability and targeting protocols.

## Details of the US airstrike Somalia that injured Abdiqadir Salah with shrapnel in back According to the Guardian’s findings, Abdiqadir Salah was playing outside his family home in Jamaame on 15 November 2025 when a missile from a US airstrike hit the area, which was allegedly targeting al-Shabaab militants in the region. Shrapnel from the missile lodged in his back and upper thigh, while three of his siblings were also injured in the same attack. The strike killed at least 12 civilians, 8 of them children, making it the deadliest US drone strike on Somali civilians during the Trump administration, and one of the worst since the failed 1993 Black Hawk Down operation in Mogadishu. X-rays of Abdiqadir’s injuries, reviewed by the Guardian, show shrapnel still lodged in two spots in his back and near his hip socket, putting him at high risk of permanent mobility loss if he does not receive emergency surgery as soon as possible. Witnesses from the family reported that there was no warning before the strike, though they heard US drones hovering over the town for hours before the attack.

## The family’s journey to find emergency hospital Somalia care for Abdiqadir Immediately after the strike, Abdiqadir’s mother Marian Haji Abdi Guled took her three injured children to the surrounding countryside to hide from the drones that continued to fly over the area, fearing further attacks. The family spent the night in the countryside without access to medical care, and returned to Jamaame the next day to seek treatment. Guled then traveled 40 miles (60km) to Jilib, the de facto capital of al-Shabaab-held territory, where an emergency hospital Somalia is located, but the facility was unable to treat Abdiqadir’s severe injuries. After borrowing money for the two-day journey, Guled traveled with Abdiqadir and his younger sister to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, where his sister Sumaya received treatment for shrapnel lodged in her head. However, Abdiqadir still urgently needs the emergency surgery that his family cannot afford. Guled was forced to leave her eldest son Mohamed, 16, in Jamaame, as he has shrapnel lodged in his fingers and the family could not afford to transport all three injured children to Mogadishu, highlighting the severe barriers to care for Somali child injured in US airstrikes.

## US refusal to acknowledge civilian casualties or pay civilian casualties compensation To date, the US government has refused to acknowledge that any civilians were killed or injured during the Jamaame airstrike in November 2025, and has shown no willingness to pay compensation to affected families. The Guardian’s investigation into the strike has raised numerous questions about US intelligence used to select targets, and why children who were clearly visible in an open area were hit by the drone strike team. The family confirmed there was no advance warning before the attack, leaving civilians with no time to flee the area. Estimates suggest that US airstrikes Somalia have killed hundreds of civilians over the past decade, but the US rarely acknowledges civilian harm or provides compensation, leaving families like Abdiqadir’s to bear the full cost of the damage caused by the strikes.

## Impact of severe injuries child on Abdiqadir’s future The severe injuries child Abdiqadir is facing pose a permanent threat to his ability to walk, as the shrapnel lodged near his hip socket could cause permanent nerve or bone damage if not removed via emergency surgery as soon as possible. Doctors at Kaafi hospital in central Mogadishu have warned that delaying the procedure could result in Abdiqadir losing his ability to walk completely, which would have a devastating impact on his quality of life and future opportunities. While local and international charity campaigns have been launched to raise funds for Abdiqadir’s surgery, his family still lacks the resources to cover the $750 emergency surgery cost, and they also need to pay for ongoing treatment for his eldest brother who still has shrapnel lodged in his fingers. The case has drawn global attention to the lack of accountability for US airstrikes that harm Somali civilians, and the urgent need for support for affected families dealing with civilian deaths Somalia and severe injuries.