Bombardment of Burao and Hargeisa 1988

Bombing of Hargeisa and Burao (1988)
	Part of the Somaliland War of Independence
	; Hargeisa after the bombardment campaign
Date	May–July 1988
Location	Hargeisa and Burao, Somaliland (then Northern Somalia)
Result	Somali victory 90% of Hargeisa destroyed; 70% of Burao destroyed; Civilian population devastated;
Belligerents
Somalia	SNM
Commanders and leaders
Mohamed Siad Barre; Mohamed Said Hersi Morgan	Siilaanyo; Mohamed Farah Dalmar Yusuf †; Ibrahim Degaweyne; Mohamed Kahin Ahmed; Muse Bihi
Casualties and losses
Heavy	50,000–100,000 killed; 500,000 displaced

The destruction of Hargeisa and Burao (Somali: duqayntii Hargeysa iyo Burco) occurred in 1988 during the Somaliland War of Independence. It was part of a counteroffensive launched by the Somali government under President Mohamed Siad Barre against the Somali National Movement (SNM), an opposition group active in northern Somalia (modern-day Somaliland). The campaign involved indiscriminate aerial bombardments and ground assaults on the cities of Hargeisa and Burao, resulting in large-scale destruction and civilian casualties. It is estimated that 90% of Hargeisa and 70% of Burao were destroyed, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.