The Prime Minister of Somalia Hamza Abdi Barre has paid a visit to a major military base in Lower Shabelle region as the country at war with Al-Shabaab.
Barre, in the accompany of Somali army chief Gen Odowa Yusuf, security advisor and other officials visited the at Baledogle Military Airfield, to inspect Danab soldiers after a training.
The U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Larry André, included the delegation led by the premier.
In a statement, the OPM said the PM praised the fresh soldiers joined the elite military brigade for their commitment and enduring the hard-training by the American military.
The Baledogle Military Airfield serves as a drone US base and trains a highly trained Somali National Army commando force – DANAB ‘Lightning Brigade’ active since inception in 2014.
The U.S. had maintained a regular presence at Baledogle until January 2020, when former President Donald Trump ordered American forces out of the country. Since then, the U.S. has sent troops to Somalia on a rotational basis.
In Sept. 30, 2019, the U.S. military was forced to launch airstrikes against militants after the troops were attacked at the Baledogle complex, which is in a desert about 60 miles northwest of the capital of Mogadishu.
A three vehicle-borne explosives and an assault by the militants. All militants were killed and one American soldier was seriously injured, according to the US Africa command.
The U.S. military [AFRICOM] had been making improvements to the base, including expanding the key airfield in Lower Shabelle region, bordering the seaside capital city.
