Puntland and AFRICOM Discuss Proposed US Base in Bosaso and Maritime Security Cooperation

Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni met with AFRICOM officials led by Col. James Rose in Bosaso on August 31, 2026 to discuss establishing a US military base in the city, joint counterterrorism operations against ISIS-Somalia in Puntland's Golis/Cal Miskaad mountain ranges, and counter-piracy and naval training cooperation. Puntland officials stressed that any counter-piracy, maritime security or airstrike operations along its coast 'should not proceed without its knowledge and cooperation' — a pointed rebuke aimed at Turkey's uncoordinated coastal counter-piracy activity and coming the same day Deni publicly warned against foreign powers using piracy as a pretext to access Puntland's marine resources.