Video of US flag desecration by Somali army trio sparks uproar amid stepped-up support

Troops from Somalia’s U.S. taxpayer-subsidized military who were seen desecrating the American flag on social media recently have been detained, according to authorities.

The U.S. thanked the Somali defense ministry for swift action while calling for accountability over the matter.

“Anti-American acts harm our bilateral relationship,” the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu said in a statement.

It came in response to a video that began circulating last week on X showing three people in Somali military uniforms placing the U.S. flag on a street while one of the men stepped on and kicked it. It’s not clear when the video was made.

Somalia has been beneficiary of billions in U.S. taxpayer assistance over the years. Much of that money has been directed toward helping the country build up its fledgling military, which has been at war with Islamic militants for two decades.

The “good faith of the American people has long supported military action against terrorist organizations which threaten the United States and, most directly, target the Somali people,” the embassy said.

U.S. Africa Command has played a key role in supporting Somalia’s military, with American troops serving as advisers and providing intelligence and air power to assist operations against al-Shabab.

Still, the militant group has proved resilient. In 2025, al-Shabab made major territorial advances, erasing the government’s gains from two years prior, the International Crisis Group said in a report last month. 

While the government has since regrouped to secure territory around Mogadishu, swaths of central Somalia remain in the militants’ grip, resulting in a stalemate, the report stated.

The troops involved in the American flag incident were detained and an investigation is underway, the Somali defense ministry said in a statement Friday. It called the behavior in the video unacceptable. 

AFRICOM has been launching airstrikes at a record pace in Somalia, hitting both al-Shabab and Islamic State group fighters in the country. The most recent strike came on Wednesday in the southern coastal city of Kismayo.