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The United States will develop up to five military outposts for the Somali army as part of a scheme to strengthen the national army’s capabilities in the face of persistent threats from an extremist organization.
Somalia’s defense minister and the United States’ charge d’affaires signed a memorandum of agreement Thursday in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
The deal comes as the African Union’s peacekeeping operation in Somalia, known as ATMIS, is reducing its presence in Somalia.
The new outposts will be linked to the Somali military’s Danab Brigade, which was formed in 2017 as a result of a US-Somalia agreement to recruit, train, equip, and mentor 3,000 men and women from across Somalia in order to strengthen the Somali army’s infantry capabilities. The brigade has played an important role as a quick-reaction force in the fight against the extremist group al-Shabab.
The United Nations Security Council has authorized the decrease of the peacekeeping force in Somalia, and the Somali government claims to be making progress in improving security.
However, al-Shabab continues to carry out rare attacks throughout Somalia, including in public locations. The group’s most recent strike, which occurred inside a military installation in Mogadishu, killed four Emirati servicemen and a Bahraini military officer.
