Mogadishu: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced, in a letter addressed to US President Donald Trump, his country’s readiness to offer the United States exclusive control of strategic air bases and ports, in a move aimed at strengthening military cooperation between the two countries.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the letter explained that the assets offered include the Baledogle and Berbera air bases, along with the ports of Berbera and Bosaso, sites of great strategic importance in the Horn of Africa region.

There was no immediate comment from the Somali Foreign and Information Ministers regarding this offer.

The Somali President emphasized in his letter that “these strategically located assets provide an opportunity to enhance US engagement in the region, ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access and preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this vital corridor.”

Baledogle base is located about 90 kilometers northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, while Bosaso is in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland, while Berbera is part of the breakaway region of Somaliland, which raises political complications.