The former commander of the Somali Correctional Corps, General Mahad Abdirahman—known as “Shub”—provided details regarding a strike on the house where he was staying in the Doolow district of the Gedo region, stating that two missiles hit the location where he was present at the time.
General Mahad recounted that the incident occurred at night while he was asleep; he woke up after hearing a massive explosion and seeing an aircraft passing overhead.
According to him, two missiles struck the house, with one hitting the specific section where he was sleeping. He reported that the building sustained extensive damage, with walls, the roof, and other structural parts suffering significant destruction.
“One missile hit me, and then another followed. Both missiles struck the spot where I was sleeping,” General Mahad said, noting that he sustained injuries from shrapnel caused by the explosion.
General Mahad stated that following the attack, he and others present at the scene evacuated the house, and the injured were transported to the Doolow district hospital. He mentioned that local security forces and officials rushed to assist, and he received medical treatment at the hospital that same night. He stated that at daybreak, he saw the house where he had been staying and noted that it had sustained severe damage, with destruction extending to other parts of the property and the surrounding area.
In another part of the interview, General Mahad discussed events that preceded the airstrike. He mentioned sensing unusual behavior among some of the people around him, noting that he had observed an individual repeatedly making phone calls from certain locations.
He also stated that some of his associates subsequently left the area, while others traveled to Baidoa and Mogadishu.
General Mahad recounted holding various meetings and communications after arriving in Doolow, noting that these interactions raised suspicions in his mind regarding information being relayed to other parties.
However, General Mahad’s claims regarding the perpetrators of the airstrike and their connections to the individuals he suspected have not been independently verified.
General Mahad Abdirahman previously served as the Commander of the Somali Custodial Corps; regarding the Doolow airstrike, he stated that the attack occurred while he and others were present at the house. The Somali government has denied that the incident at General Shub’s house involved airstrikes, attributing it instead to explosives that were being prepared inside the home.
So far, there has been no official investigation independent of the claims made by both sides to verify what occurred in Doolow.
