Drones and Death: Families Reel from the UAE’s “Catastrophic” Strikes in War on ISIS

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Drones had been hovering over Togga-Xarago—a mountainous settlement in northeastern Somalia all day. The Reer Yusuf Mohamud Salah family was used to the noise; it was a regular occurrence in the Al-Miskaad mountains, where the Puntland security forces are waging an on-going war against ISIS militants, supported by the UAE and now the U.S.

On the evening of January 26, 2025, as her family gathered for dinner in their traditional Somali style hut known as an Caqil Soomaali, 38-year-old Khadra Abdi Ismael went to a neighbor’s home to retrieve an item for her relatives. Moments later, Khadra heard the large engine roars of an aircraft hovering above.

A large explosion followed. Thick smoke billowed through the sky as screams could be heard from the ruins of the hut, Khadra told Drop Site.

“The Caqil Soomaali was engulfed in flames, and smoke was everywhere,” Khadra said.

“Once the smoke cleared, the true horrors emerged: I saw shrapnel from the missile and body parts strewn everywhere,” she said. “Even the livestock were ripped to pieces.”