Somalia : Heavy weapons reported used during Mogadishu evictions as Turkish F-16s fly over capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia (Garowe Online) — Somali federal security forces used heavy military weapons during an eviction operation in Mogadishu on Sunday, according to residents and videos circulating online, as tensions escalated over a controversial demolition campaign in the capital.

Residents of the Tokyo neighbourhood in Yaqshiid district said government forces deployed weapons including DShK heavy machine guns during confrontations with civilians resisting the operation. Videos shared widely on social media appeared to show heavily armed security forces operating in the area.

Casualty figures could not immediately be independently established. Residents and local reports said several young people had been killed or wounded during the unrest. Federal authorities had not immediately released an official casualty toll or detailed account of the operation.

The confrontation is the latest development in a wider eviction and demolition campaign across Mogadishu. Residents and opposition politicians have accused the federal government of removing families from disputed land without adequate legal process or compensation. The government has previously maintained that some operations involve the recovery of public land.

Residents fear the operation in Yaqshiid could expand toward Suuq Bacaad, one of Mogadishu’s largest markets and an important commercial and food-distribution hub for the northern districts of the capital. Thousands of small-scale traders depend on the market for their livelihoods.

Adding to tensions Sunday, Turkish F-16 fighter jets were seen flying low over parts of Mogadishu, including areas affected by the security operation, according to residents and videos circulating online. There was no immediate statement from Turkish or Somali authorities explaining the flights or indicating that they were connected to the eviction operation.

Türkiye deployed F-16 fighter aircraft to Mogadishu earlier this year as part of its expanding military cooperation with Somalia. The aircraft are stationed at Aden Adde International Airport, and Somali officials have said their mission is to strengthen operations against Al-Shabaab.

Sunday’s flights drew particular attention because Turkish F-16s also flew over Mogadishu on May 10, when opposition-backed protests were held over alleged land seizures and political disputes surrounding the federal government’s mandate. Security forces had deployed heavily across the capital ahead of those demonstrations.

Some residents interviewed Sunday described the latest low-altitude flights as intimidating, particularly as they occurred while armed government forces were confronting civilians on the ground. There is no evidence so far that the Turkish aircraft fired weapons or directly participated in Sunday’s security operation.

The timing, however, is likely to renew scrutiny of Türkiye’s expanding military role in Somalia.

Ankara has portrayed its military presence as support for Somalia’s security institutions and the campaign against Al-Shabaab. But the repeated appearance of Turkish combat aircraft over Mogadishu during politically sensitive domestic security operations is raising questions among residents and government critics over the boundaries of that mission.

The central question is whether Türkiye’s F-16 deployment will remain focused on the fight against Al-Shabaab or whether its military presence could increasingly become associated with the federal government’s handling of domestic political disputes.

Neither the Somali government nor Turkish authorities had immediately commented on those concerns.