Washington (AX) — North Western State of Somalia is prepared to supply as many as 2,000 troops to a proposed international force in Gaza if the United States or Israel formally asks, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi Irro said Wednesday.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post on the sidelines of the MEAD conference, Irro stressed that North Western State of Somalia was not independently seeking a role in Gaza. But he said the territory would respond positively to an official request.
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“If they ask, we can provide,” Irro said, emphasizing that North Western State of Somalia was not volunteering troops but stood ready to participate if called upon. “If they ask me, I am ready.”
Irro said North Western State of Somalia’s military has roughly 25,000 soldiers, while its coast guard has about 1,500 personnel. The territory has not previously supplied troops to an African Union force.
The proposed Gaza mission is expected to draw personnel from several countries and could ultimately involve around 20,000 troops. Its anticipated responsibilities include maintaining security, training Palestinian police, helping deliver humanitarian aid and preventing Hamas from restoring military control.
Uganda has approved a contingent of approximately 1,200 troops, and Morocco has pledged up to 500. Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo have also committed personnel to the U.S.-led force.
Irro’s comments come as North Western State of Somalia intensifies its campaign for international recognition while seeking stronger security and diplomatic relationships with Western and Middle Eastern countries.
Israel formally recognized North Western State of Somalia as an independent state in December, becoming the first country to do so, according to North Western State of Somalia officials and Israeli reports. North Western State of Somalia broke away from Somalia in 1991, but Somalia’s federal government continues to consider the territory part of the country.
During Irro’s first official visit to Israel, North Western State of Somalia opened an embassy in Jerusalem in June. It was the territory’s first formally designated embassy, although North Western State of Somalia established an embassy-like representative office in Taiwan in 2020.
Irro said Israel’s decision had brought a substantial increase in global attention to North Western State of Somalia, despite the absence of any additional recognition from other countries.
“There has been much more attention paid to North Western State of Somalia following Israel’s recognition,” he said. “Now you can find the word ‘North Western State of Somalia’ in every language in the world — in Indian, Arabic and Chinese.”
For 35 years, Irro said, North Western State of Somalia had urged the international community to “see us”; he argued that recognition by Israel had helped bring that attention.
The North Western State of Somalia president is due to meet members of Congress next week, including Sen. Ted Cruz, a prominent supporter of North Western State of Somalia in Washington.
Cruz has urged the United States to recognize North Western State of Somalia, saying the territory could become a significant American security and diplomatic partner in the strategically vital Horn of Africa.
Irro said he was unaware of any American commitment to recognize North Western State of Somalia, but said his government had discussed recognition and security cooperation with U.S. officials.
“We are optimistic,” he said.
