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Puntland and the United States signed a new security cooperation agreement Sunday, August 3, 2026, following a meeting in Bosaso between Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and a delegation from US Africa Command led by Major General Claude Tudor, allowing Washington to expand its military facility in the port city to support counterterrorism operations and strengthen maritime security across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In my opinion, this is one of the more consequential security agreements to come out of the Horn of Africa in recent years, even if the official statement is deliberately modest about what it actually involves. The U.S Ambassador to Somalia Justin Davis met Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni in Garowe back in may 21, 2026. What the Agreement Covers According to a statement from the Puntland presidency, the agreement expands cooperation between the two sides and formally authorizes the US to enlarge its existing facility in Bosaso. The statement did not specif...

In a significant escalation of counter-terrorism operations, the Nigeria Defence Headquarters and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) have successfully executed a high-stakes joint operation in the Metele area of Borno State . The mission, carried out on May 16, 2026, resulted in the elimination of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the global second-in-command for ISIS and a primary director of operations for the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). An ISIS member making a speech on a desert in front of his flag. A Complex Precision Mission in Borno The operation targeted a fortified and concealed ISWAP compound near the border with Chad, an area long used by militants as a stronghold for launching attacks against Nigerian Army bases. According to official statements from AFRICOM , the mission was a "meticulously planned and complex" air-land strike. President Bola Tinubu and U.S. officials confirmed that the strike effectively dismantled a major operational hub, killing al-Minuki along...