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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Mark Townsend and Mohamed Gabobe in Mogadishu

Killed walking home from school: why did Somali children become targets of US drone strikes?

A composite photo showing a large military drone, a body wrapped in a sheet on a bed and a damaged shack on a backdrop of US flags
The drone attack on Jamaame was the deadliest US airstrike for civilians in Somalia during either Trump administration. The US had not killed so many innocent people in one incident in the east African country for 18 years. Composite: Guardian Design/Reuters/Shahada agency news

They had just settled down for breakfast when the noise came. Some paused in the eating of their slow-cooked beans – cambuulo – spooked by the haunting high-pitched hum. Others pressed their faces against windows, scanning skywards. Farmers in nearby maize fields watched the objects circling above Jamaame, a town in southern Somalia.

Shortly after 9am on 15 November 2025, Jamaame shuddered from a series of explosions.

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