Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro) stated that Somaliland is prepared to contribute up to 2,000 troops to the international force planned for deployment to Gaza, should the United States or Israel request it.
Speaking to *The Jerusalem Post* while attending a conference in Washington, President Cirro noted that while Somaliland is not proactively seeking to send troops, it stands ready to respond if a formal request is received.
“If we are asked, we can provide them,” President Cirro said, adding that he is personally prepared to dispatch troops for the mission if directly requested.
The force planned for Gaza is intended to ensure security, train Palestinian police forces, facilitate humanitarian aid, and prevent Hamas from regaining military control over Gaza. The plan envisions the force eventually reaching a strength of approximately 20,000 troops.
The report indicates that Uganda has agreed to provide around 1,200 troops, while Morocco has pledged up to 500. Albania, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo have also stated that they will contribute troops or military personnel to the U.S.-led force. President Cirro stated that Somaliland has a military force of approximately 25,000 soldiers and a Coast Guard numbering around 1,500. According to him, Somaliland has not previously contributed troops to African Union operations.
Cirro also denied that Somaliland had discussed with Israel or the United States the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza to Somaliland. He stated that no such discussions had taken place with either of those countries or any other party.
