Nur was at a funeral in a nearby district when news of the strike reached him later that day. He rushed back to a scene of horror.

As 50-year-old Mohamed Ahmed Nur departed his home in the town of Quracley in Somalia’s Hiiraan region on Jan. 30, 2023, he recalled seeing drones hovering overhead but didn’t think much of it. Drones had become a common sight in the al- Shabab-controlled town.

As 50-year-old Mohamed Ahmed Nur departed his home in the town of Quracley in Somalia’s Hiiraan region on Jan. 30, 2023, he recalled seeing drones hovering overhead but didn’t think much of it. Drones had become a common sight in the al- Shabab-controlled town.

Nur was at a funeral in a nearby district when news of the strike reached him later that day. He rushed back to a scene of horror.

“I saw charred remains of my children and other youth smoldering,” Nur told Foreign Policy in March. “Their remains were scattered around the tree.”

A few al-Shabab fighters were present when he arrived, Nur said. They looked to be trying to confirm the identities of those killed in the strike. Once it became clear that the victims were not fellow combatants but young boys, they left.

Nur then called for help to collect the remains.

“A total of 12 people arrived, and then they helped me pick up the body parts, one by one. Then we placed them in sacks,” he said. “I couldn’t even wash my children’s bodies according to the Islamic rulings when dealing with the deceased, because the bodies of my children were ripped to pieces.”

Seven young people were killed in the drone strike; five of those victims were minors. The deceased included three of Nur’s sons: 20-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Nur, 18-year-old Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, and 8-