Former Somalia Custodial Corps Chief targeted in Doolow

Late on Sept. 3, explosions hit the Doolow residence of Mahad Abdirahman Aden, better known as Shub, a former commander of Somalia’s Custodial Corps, in an incident that has generated conflicting accounts over its cause and who was responsible.

Local media reported a number of casualties among people at the residence, though accounts differed and no official death toll has been confirmed. The circumstances of the explosions and the number of casualties have not been independently verified.

Opposition figures have described the incident as an air strike and accused Somalia’s federal government and Turkey of involvement, allegations Mogadishu has denied.

Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, the former president of South West State, condemned what he described as air strikes in Doolow in the Gedo region and near Baidoa. Laftagareen, who “resigned” on March 30 after federal forces took control of Baidoa but later said he still considered himself the legitimate president of South West State, alleged that F-16 fighter jets were used in the attacks and that Turkey carried them out at the request of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Laftagareen said in his statement that his side knew “the individual who specifically issued the order for the air strikes” and would take what he called appropriate action. He alleged that the objective of the Doolow attack was to kill Mahad.

The statement also accused Turkey of allowing military equipment supplied to Somalia to be used to “suppress and massacre politicians and civilians” opposed to Hassan Sheikh’s administration. It urged the United Nations, African Union, IGAD, European Union, United States and Britain to closely follow what it described as abuses by the federal government. Neither the allegations against Turkey nor the claim that F-16 fighter jets were involved has been independently verified.

Somalia’s opposition-led Somali Future Council also condemned the incident and called for an independent investigation into allegations that foreign-supported military capabilities had been used. The council said Mahad, who was previously removed from office and detained amid a political dispute, had not, to its knowledge, been charged with a “criminal or terrorism-related offence.”

The council said it was concerned by allegations that “foreign-operated, supplied or supported capabilities” had been used, but stopped short of assigning responsibility, saying the facts should be “established through independently verified evidence.”

It urged Somalia’s international partners to ensure that “weapons, drones, intelligence and counter-terrorism assistance intended to fight Al-Shabaab” were never diverted to settle domestic political disputes.

“Supporting Somalia is not supporting an incumbent,” the council said, adding that counter-terrorism assistance “must fight Al-Shabaab, not become an instrument against Somalia’s political opponents.”

Several former senior Somali officials, including former presidents Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, and Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, as well as former prime ministers and other opposition figures, also condemned the incident. Some directly accused the federal government of carrying out or ordering the strike.

Somalia’s federal government, however, denied any involvement and disputed accounts that the Doolow incident was an air strike.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said the government was closely monitoring developments and that preliminary information gathered by security agencies indicated the explosions were caused by “explosive materials being prepared inside the house.”

“The government makes clear that it had no involvement whatsoever in the incident,” the statement said.

The government said it would urgently appoint a fact-finding committee to conduct what it described as a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incident, its motive and those responsible. The government also warned against circulating what it called false or unverified information before the investigation was completed and said the committee’s findings would be made public.

The competing accounts -- including whether the explosions were caused by an air strike or by explosives inside the property, and whether Somali or foreign forces were involved -- have not been independently verified.

The latest attack targeting General Mahad Abdirahman comes against the backdrop of a months-long political and armed confrontation centred on Somalia’s South West State. The crisis is part of a broader dispute over the constitutional amendments president Hassan sheikh have made, and the election deadlock between the federal government and Somalia’s federal member states. Those disagreements intensified after Somalia’s parliament approved further constitutional amendments in March 2026 amid opposition concerns over their implications for the country’s political transition and election timetable.

Tensions between Mogadishu and South West State escalated under then-regional president Laftagareen, whose administration opposed the federal government’s constitutional and electoral plans. In March, South West State severed ties with the federal government amid accusations of interference in regional affairs. Laftagareen subsequently pursued a regional electoral process, and on March 28 South West lawmakers declared him re-elected for another five-year term. The federal government rejected the vote as “illegal and unconstitutional,” further deepening the confrontation between the two administrations.

The political standoff soon developed into an armed confrontation. On March 30, federal forces entered Baidoa and took control of the South West State capital after advancing against forces aligned with the regional administration. Laftagareen announced his resignation the same day and left the city. A transitional administration was subsequently established, followed by a new regional electoral process.

In June, Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur “Aden Madobe,” who had been serving as Speaker of Somalia’s House of the People, was elected president of South West State by the regional parliament. He received 88 votes from 90 lawmakers who participated in the vote. The process nevertheless remained contested. Former South West president Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden withdrew from the race before the vote, alleging irregularities, while critics of the federal government questioned the legitimacy of a political transition that had followed the military takeover of Baidoa. Madobe subsequently took office as the federally recognised president of South West State.

The change in administration, however, did not end the confrontation. Forces loyal to Laftagareen continued operating outside Baidoa and have repeatedly fought federal and South West forces supporting Madobe’s administration. Major clashes occurred in May, August and again in early September, with Laftagareen-aligned fighters launching attacks on positions in and around Baidoa. The violence has caused civilian casualties, disrupted humanitarian operations and repeatedly forced residents to flee parts of the city. During fighting on September 3, Bay Regional Hospital reported treating 71 wounded people, including 15 women, while at least one civilian was killed. Baidoa is also a major humanitarian hub hosting hundreds of thousands of people already displaced by drought and conflict.

It is against this wider political and security confrontation that the attack on General Mahad should be viewed. Mahad has been associated with the political and armed camp aligned with Laftagareen, placing him within the broader dispute between Laftagareen’s armed forces and the federal government. While the opposition described the incident as a strike targeting Mahad, the federal government insists on rejecting that characterization and maintained that the blast was caused by an explosion rather than a deliberate strike.

More broadly, the incident has intensified concerns over the direction of Somalia’s current political crisis as it comes at a time when the country is confronting several overlapping challenges, including disputes over constitutional and electoral arrangements, tensions between the federal government and some regional administrations, an ongoing humanitarian crisis, and uncertainty surrounding the future and effectiveness of international security missions that have operated in Somalia in various forms for more than two decades.