🚨AI-altered photo falsely claims Al-Shabaab leader appeared among fighters seen in Diinsoor, Southwest, Somalia, during capture by pro-Laftagareen’s forces: On Sunday, 18 October 2026, an AI-altered photo was widely circulated by some Somali media outlets, journalists, and numerous social media influencers in Somalia and beyond, claiming that “senior Al-Shabaab leader Hassan Yaqub Ali has reportedly appeared” among the fighters who seized Diinsoor town in the Bay region of Somalia’s Southwest State on 16 October, following an offensive by pro-Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen” forces. Some news sites and social media accounts went further, claiming that the conflict across Southwest State “was part of a foreign-funded campaign” allegedly “facilitated by Ethiopia and Kenya”. These posts and the AI-altered photo garnered thousands of views across various platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. The images were also shared by accounts supportive of Aden Mohamed Nur (Aden Madobe) and the Somali Federal Government. The Somali Journalists Syndicate @sjs_Somalia was alerted to the images by local journalists and ordinary citizens, prompting @sjs_Somalia to investigate them using open-source methods. @sjs_Somalia found that the images used to support the claims were AI-altered versions of original photographs published by Al Jazeera English in 2016. In the original photographs, Al-Shabaab leader Hassan Yaqub Ali was seen standing to the left of the group’s spokesperson, Ali Mohamud Raage. However, in the AI-altered version, the two men wearing black turbans had been re-positioned, and their faces had been brightened, revealing the sloppy use of AI. The original @AJEnglish photographs were taken in central Somalia in November 2016.

@sjs_Somalia strongly condemns the abduction and detention of Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim, a journalist with HIMILO TV, by Somalia’s National Intelligence, @HSNQ_NISA officers in Mogadishu today. SJS considers this incident a serious violation of press freedom and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. According to information received by SJS, NISA officers seized the journalist at approximately 12:00 noon as he left HIMILO TV’s office and headed towards a nearby restaurant. His colleagues were unable to establish his whereabouts for more than four hours before learning that he had been detained by NISA. @sjs_Somalia has confirmed that Khadar Abdirahim Ibrahim is being held at one of NISA’s detention facilities in Mogadishu. The authorities have not publicly clarified the legal grounds for his detention.

🚨Somali journalist Bashir Mohamed Abdullahi dies after being shot during Baidoa clashes At the time of his death, @sjs_Somalia was working with Bashir’s family to facilitate his referral to Mogadishu for specialised medical treatment. On Sunday, @sjs_Somalia received a medical report from his family indicating that he urgently required transfer to specialised life-saving care that was not available in Baidoa. Bashir is the second media worker killed in Somalia this year.

BAIDOA, SOMALIA: @sjs_Somalia is deeply concerned by the shooting of dozens of civilians in Baidoa, Southwest State, Somalia, during a renewed fighting on Thursday, 3 September, and particularly by the serious injury of journalist Bashir Mohamed Abdullahi. Emergency services reported that the main hospital in #Baidoa received 71 wounded people, including 15 women and 12 children following the 3 September fighting. Our colleague Bashir is among the most critical injuries currently in the hospital after he was shot twice. @sjs_Somalia strongly condemns the shooting of civilians and the serious injury of journalist Bashir Mohamed Abdullahi in Baidoa who now remains in his hospital with critical injuries. We pray for his immediate recovery and perpetrators who shot him and other civilians should be held to account.