Somaliland leader: No Israeli military presence for now, future not ruled out

JERUSALEM, June 18 – Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, said Israel currently has no military presence in Somaliland but declined to rule out such a possibility in the future, as the two sides deepen cooperation in several sectors.

In an interview with Israeli broadcaster i24News, Cirro said: “At the moment, Israel has no troops in Somaliland, but I cannot speak about what may happen in the future.”

The Somaliland leader said the two sides had agreed to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, water management, technology, and security, describing the sectors as pillars of the growing relationship between Somaliland and Israel.

While Cirro insisted that Israel does not currently maintain a military presence in Somaliland, Israel’s defence minister recently said the two sides had long-standing military ties and had conducted undisclosed security operations together linked to that cooperation.

The expanding relationship between Somaliland and Israel has drawn strong criticism from Somalia’s federal government and several Muslim-majority countries, which have voiced concern over the growing ties.

Despite the criticism, Cirro said external pressure would not alter Somaliland’s decision to deepen its relations with Israel.with Israel.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains internationally unrecognised, has in recent months sought to expand diplomatic and economic ties with foreign partners as it pushes for international recognition.

GAROWE ONLINE