Reports from the city of Baidoa indicate that airstrikes were carried out last night in areas on the city’s outskirts, amidst a tense security situation in the city and its surrounding areas.
Local residents and sources reported hearing explosions in the Iidow Dhagaal area, while other strikes were reported in the Haawal Aruunde, Ceeldoon, and Saydheelow areas.
According to reports from the area, the airstrikes targeted forces said to be loyal to the former president of Southwest State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Lafta-gareen”; these forces had reportedly been gathering in large numbers on the outskirts of Baidoa on Friday night.
A video circulated on social media appears to show the moment an airstrike occurred in the Iidow Dhagaal area; however, there has been no independent confirmation regarding who carried out the strikes, the type of aircraft used, or the specific targets.
Furthermore, there is currently no official information regarding casualties resulting from the airstrikes, although local sources reported that residents living near the targeted areas were gripped by fear and fled the scene. These attacks come at a time of escalating political and security tensions in Southwest State, as factions supporting Lafta-gareen and those aligned with the Speaker of the House of the People, Sheikh Adan Mohamed Nur (Adan Madobe), remain at odds over political and administrative issues in the region.
Military movements have been reported in Baidoa and surrounding areas in recent days, with the opposing political factions accusing one another of military maneuvers and plotting regarding the administration’s future.
The situation remains tense, and further details are expected regarding the perpetrators of the airstrikes and the resulting casualties, although Turkey has recently been accused of being behind the airstrikes that took place in the Southwest.
