A senior traditional elder in Somaliland’s Sanaag region was killed in a targeted strike by unidentified warplanes. Locals fear a wider shadow war unfolding over Somaliland’s contested skies.
Residents of Sanaag were left reeling this afternoon after an unidentified warplane carried out a lethal strike on a civilian vehicle in Badhan district, killing one of the region’s most respected traditional elders, Omar Abdullahi Abdi, and another man whose identity remains under investigation.
Eyewitnesses told WARYATV that Omar Abdullahi, known locally as Nabadoon Omar, had departed Ceel-buh in his private car alongside a mysterious companion. The man, according to hotel staff, had been staying in Ceel-buh for the past three nights — raising questions about whether he, and not the elder, was the intended target.
The strike obliterated their vehicle. Both men were killed instantly. Residents described the scene as chaotic, with smoke still visible long after the aircraft disappeared.
For now, no state or military force has claimed responsibility. Independent reports suggest the attack bore the hallmarks of a precision strike, but whether it was carried out by U.S. counterterrorism forces, Ethiopian drones, or another regional actor remains unknown.
The death of Nabadoon Omar is already stoking unease across Sanaag. Locals fear the elder — a widely respected figure — may have been collateral damage in a hidden shadow war that is creeping into Somaliland’s contested skies.
With no clarity from Mogadishu, Hargeisa, or foreign militaries, the question now hangs heavy over Badhan: who pulled the trigger, and why?
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