WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (Horndiplomat) — Somaliland is prepared to contribute as many as 2,000 soldiers to a proposed international stabilisation force in Gaza if formally requested by the United States or Israel, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” has said.
“If they ask, we can provide,” Abdullahi told The Jerusalem Post in an interview on Wednesday on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington.
Somaliland was not actively volunteering its forces but remained ready to participate, he said.
“If they ask me, I am ready,” Abdullahi added.
The proposed U.S.-led International Stabilization Force is expected eventually to comprise about 20,000 soldiers. Its planned responsibilities include maintaining security, training Palestinian police, facilitating humanitarian assistance and preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities.
Uganda has approved a contingent of approximately 1,200 troops, while Morocco has committed up to 500 personnel, according to the report. Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo have also pledged personnel.
Somaliland maintains an army of about 25,000 soldiers and a coast guard of roughly 1,500 personnel, Abdullahi said. It has not previously contributed troops to an African Union peacekeeping force.
Recognition Raises Somaliland’s International Profile
Israel formally recognised Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025, becoming the first United Nations member state to do so since Somaliland restored its independence in 1991.
Somaliland opened an embassy in Jerusalem in June during Abdullahi’s first official visit to Israel. It had previously established a representative office in Taiwan in 2020.
Abdullahi said Israeli recognition had sharply increased international attention towards Somaliland, although no other country has yet followed Israel’s decision.
“There has been much more attention paid to Somaliland following Israel’s recognition,” he said. “Now you can find the word ‘Somaliland’ in every language in the world — in Indian, Arabic and Chinese.”
“For 35 years, we have been asking the whole world to see us,” he added.
Abdullahi is expected to meet members of the U.S. Congress during his Washington visit, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a prominent advocate of American recognition of Somaliland.
The president said his government had discussed recognition and security cooperation with U.S. officials but had received no firm commitment from Washington.
“We are optimistic,” he said.
Somaliland Seeks Security Support
Abdullahi said Israel’s recognition had also created new security challenges, pointing to Turkey’s expanding military support for Somalia.
“There is no free lunch,” he said. “Everything has some negative and some positive.”
“We created new enemies,” he added, saying countries that previously did not supply Somalia with sophisticated weapons were now doing so.
Somaliland has sufficient personnel to defend itself but needs advanced weapons and military technology, Abdullahi said.
“We need protection,” he said, adding that Hargeisa was seeking assistance from Israel, the United States and other partners to establish a regional security balance.
The president said there was currently no Israeli or American security presence in Somaliland but suggested that a foreign presence could emerge in the future and provide deterrence.
Abdullahi denied that Somaliland and Israel had discussed using Somaliland’s territory or airspace for military operations against the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.
“As a country, Somaliland, we don’t have any conflict with the Houthis at the moment,” he said. “We haven’t discussed possible Israeli operations against them.”
He also rejected reports that Somaliland had agreed to accept Palestinians displaced from Gaza.
“We haven’t discussed it with Israel, we haven’t discussed it with the Americans, we haven’t discussed it with anyone,” Abdullahi said.
The declaration signed by Abdullahi and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu provides for cooperation in security, trade, investment and economic development. The president said water technology would be Somaliland’s leading priority because of its semi-arid climate.
Abdullahi said he met representatives of more than 100 Israeli companies during his visit, including businesses interested in Somaliland’s potential oil and gas resources. No Israeli investments had yet been finalised, he said, but his government expected projects to follow.
