AFRICOM Commander Visits Puntland to Discuss Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

By Asha Elmi - Reporter

Somalia- 27 November 2025 — The U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) Operations Commander, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, has begun a security visit to Bosaso in Puntland State, northeastern Somalia, where he met with the state’s Vice President, Ilyas Osman Lugatoor, to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation and maritime security.

The meeting, attended by U.S. Deputy Ambassador to Somalia Justin Davis along with American military and diplomatic officials, focused on ongoing operations against ISIS militants in the Al-Miskad Mountains, as well as joint efforts to secure Puntland’s coastline and bolster maritime security.

From the Puntland side, senior security leaders took part, including Defence Forces Commander Gen. Aden Abdi Hashi, Director General of Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) Abdirabi Abdisamad, and senior advisers on political and security affairs.

Gen. Anderson’s visit to Bosaso is part of a wider regional tour that also included Somaliland, where he visited Hargeisa and the Port of Berbera to assess security cooperation and support joint operations. AFRICOM continues to carry out airstrikes and field operations against Al-Shabaab and ISIS as part of its support for Somalia’s counter-terrorism efforts.