Guardian Readers Fund Surgery for Somali Boy Injured by US Drone
Guardian readers funded life-changing surgery for a seven-year-old Somali boy injured in a US drone strike that killed at least 12 civilians.
A fundraising campaign by Guardian readers provided critical surgery and rehabilitation for Abdiqadir Salah, a seven-year-old boy injured during a US drone strike in the village of Jamaame. A Guardian investigation determined the strike killed at least 12 civilians, including eight children. Abdiqadir had been impaled by shrapnel, leading doctors to warn that he could lose the ability to walk without medical intervention.
In September 2026, surgeons at Kaafi hospital in Mogadishu successfully removed two pieces of shrapnel from the boy's body. One piece remained embedded to prevent the risk of paralysis. Despite the successful operation, Marian Haji Abdi Guled, the boy's mother, refuses to return to Jamaame, citing ongoing US drone activity in the region.
Guled plans to relocate her family to Kismayo to ensure their safety. She continues to demand that the US government be held accountable for the attack and the injuries sustained by her children.
