Friday March 7, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) – Ethiopian military aircraft carried out airstrikes on Al-Shabaab positions in Somalia's Middle Shabelle region, Somali Defense Minister Abdukadir Mohamed Nur confirmed Thursday.
Speaking to Somali National Television, Nur stated that the Ethiopian airstrikes were conducted with the approval of the Somali federal government. However, he did not provide details on casualties or damage inflicted.
"It is impossible to conduct airstrikes inside Somalia without informing the government," the minister said, underscoring the coordinated security efforts between Mogadishu and Addis Ababa.
Nur further noted that Somalia and Ethiopia have an ongoing security cooperation agreement, particularly in counterterrorism operations against Al-Shabaab. He cited the Ankara agreement as the framework guiding their military collaboration.
Last month, Ethiopia and Somalia formalized an agreement to deploy Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF) under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM). However, Somali authorities recently approved Ethiopia's participation in the mission.
The security cooperation deal follows a thaw in diplomatic relations between Somalia and Ethiopia after a year-long rift triggered by Ethiopia's controversial maritime access agreement with Somaliland.