U.S. troops have reportedly withdrawn from Baledogle military airfield in Lower Shabelle, according to local reports. Ugandan and Somali forces are said to remain at the base.
Reports published on 28 October, citing sources familiar with the deployment, said American personnel had departed several days earlier. This comes as Somali forces prepare to assume greater security responsibilities from international partners while continuing operations against Al-Shabaab.
The number of personnel involved, their destination and the terms of any transfer of responsibilities remain unclear. The reports do not establish whether the departure is permanent or whether American training and advisory support will continue through another location.
Baledogle has hosted training for Somalia’s Danab special forces. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre attended the graduation of the force’s 12th cohort at the airfield on 28 September, according to the prime minister’s office.
The ceremony was held at the Colonel Hassan Ture Commandos Academy. The government said the graduates had received instruction in battlefield tactics, combat medicine and technical skills, as well as Somalia’s history, international humanitarian law and human rights. The government described the training as preparation for special operations duties.
Barre thanked the United States for supporting Danab and said the government’s objective was to build a professional army capable of assuming responsibility for national security. Defence officials and military commanders attended the ceremony.
The reported departure from Baledogle follows recent American air operations elsewhere in Somalia. AFRICOM’s public strike record lists attacks targeting Al-Shabaab on 17, 19, 21 and 23 October, including operations near Janaale, Kismayo and in the Cal Madow mountains.
Those announcements confirm recent U.S. military operations but provide no explanation for the reported movement from Baledogle. The status of American personnel at the airfield and the arrangements for continued support to Danab remain unverified.
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