Members Of The US-trained Somali Command Force Fired And Detained Due To Allegations Of Corruption

Training of the Danab troops by the US military. (Wikimedia Commons/Senior Airman Anabel Del Valle)

JAKARTA - The Somali government announced it had dismissed and detained a number of elite commando units trained by the United States on suspicion of Washington's donated corruption, taking over responsibility for providing the need for the troops.

The unit in question is the Special Forces of the Danab, which has become the main pillar of US-backed efforts to combat the militant group linked to al Qaeda, al Shabaab.

In February, the United States agreed to spend more than $100 million to build five military bases for the Danab.

Somalia's Defense Ministry said in a statement late Thursday that it had notified international partners of the theft and would share the results of its investigation.

Meanwhile, an Uncle Sam Country official said in a statement Washington was taking all corruption charges seriously.

"We look forward to working with Danab to create the necessary protective and accountability measures to prevent future incidents that could affect aid in the future," the official told Reuters, without directly specifying whether aid from America had been suspended. April 26th.

The United States in 2017 was known to agree to help train and equip 3.000 Danab personnel, to act as a fast reaction striker against al Shabaab. The group has been insurgencies against the central government since 2006.

Danab has been heavily involved in military attacks by the Somali military and allied clan militias since 2022, which initially captured large parts of al Shabaab in central Somalia.

However, the campaign has lost momentum, with government allied forces struggling to defend rural areas and al Shabaab continuing to carry out large-scale attacks, including in the capital Mogadishu.

Previously, Washington suspended several defense aids to Somalia in 2017, after the military was unable to account for the food and fuel provided.

The United States itself also often attacks drones targeting al Shabaab militants.