Somaliland willing to send up to 2,000 troops to Gaza force, president says

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said his country is willing to contribute up to 2,000 soldiers to the planned International Stabilization Force for Gaza, but is waiting for a formal request from the US or Israel. The statement was made on the sidelines of the MEAD conference, where Abdullahi emphasized readiness without volunteering. Uganda, Morocco, Albania, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo have also pledged personnel to the US-led force, which aims to deploy some 20,000 troops for security, training, aid facilitation, and preventing Hamas from reestablishing control. Israel recognized Somaliland in December, and an embassy was opened in Jerusalem in June.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said his country is willing to contribute up to 2,000 soldiers to the International Stabilization Force planned for Gaza, but is waiting for the US or Israel to formally ask. "If they ask, we can provide," Abdullahi said in an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference, stressing that although Somaliland is not volunteering, "if they ask me, I am ready." Uganda has approved a contingent of some 1,200 troops, while Morocco has committed up to 500. Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo have also pledged personnel to the US-led force, which is intended eventually to deploy some 20,000 soldiers in Gaza. The force's tasks are set to include maintaining security, training Palestinian police, facilitating humanitarian aid and preventing Hamas from reestablishing its military control. Abdullahi said Somaliland has an army of approximately 25,000 soldiers and a coast guard of some 1,500 personnel. In December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland as an independent state. Somaliland opened an embassy in Jerusalem in June. Abdullahi said Israel's recognition has already significantly raised Somaliland's international profile, even though no other country has yet followed Israel's lead. He denied that Israel and Somaliland had discussed using Somaliland's territory or airspace for operations against the Houthis, and also denied reports that Somaliland had discussed accepting Palestinians from Gaza as part of its agreement with Israel.