Wednesday  4 Maarso 2026 {HMC}  Somalia and the United States held high-level talks in Mogadishu on Tuesday aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment, focusing on energy and critical minerals, officials said.

The meeting which was the first of its kind formally convened inside Somalia was described by both sides as a sign of growing confidence in the country’s security and economic trajectory.

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The U.S. delegation was led by Justin Dives, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Somalia. Somalia was represented by senior officials from the ministries of commerce and industry, petroleum and minerals, and foreign affairs.
Somali officials outlined investment opportunities in oil, gas and mineral resources, highlighting reforms designed to strengthen transparency, clarify commercial regulations and protect investor rights. They said the changes are intended to create a predictable and investor-friendly business climate capable of attracting foreign direct investment.

Talks centered on the development of Somalia’s energy sector, including critical minerals and hydrocarbons. Both sides emphasized the need for clear legal frameworks, accountable governance and long-term partnerships to ensure sustainable cooperation.

The two governments agreed to establish joint technical committees to follow up on the discussions and accelerate implementation of agreed priorities.

Somalia’s Minister of Petroleum and Minerals, Daahir Shire Mohamed, said the discussions focused on encouraging U.S. investors to explore opportunities in Somalia’s oil and mining sectors.

“We discussed how to jointly benefit from the country’s resources and create an environment that encourages U.S. investment in Somalia,” he told reporters after the meeting.

He said further technical meetings would be held between his ministry, the Ministry of Commerce and a technical team from the U.S. Embassy to advance cooperation. Somalia also briefed the U.S. side on policy frameworks governing resource management and preparations for the next phase of mineral and oil development.

Dives reaffirmed Washington’s readiness to support Somalia’s economic development efforts and to build partnerships grounded in transparency and shared interests.

The talks come amid heightened international interest in Somalia’s offshore energy potential. Turkey recently dispatched its deep-sea drilling vessel, Cagri Bey, to Somali waters for what Ankara describes as its first offshore exploration mission beyond its own maritime zone.

Turkey’s energy minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, called the deployment a “historic moment” and said the vessel is expected to begin drilling in April at the Curad-1 well off Somalia’s coast. The ship, escorted by Turkish naval vessels, is expected to arrive within weeks.

Ankara has said it aims to significantly expand hydrocarbon production through overseas exploration and production-sharing agreements.

Wednesday  4 Maarso 2026 {HMC}  Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said Tuesday it has killed a senior al-Shabab leader accused of masterminding several high-profile attacks in 2025, including the deadly assault at Godka Jilacow.

NISA said the operation was carried out March 1 in the Hantiwadaag area of Awdheegle district in Lower Shabelle region, in coordination with international partners.

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The agency identified the militant as a key operative who used multiple aliases, including Kamaludin Yunis Mohamed, Salim Nur Sheikh Abdirahin, Arale and Abdullahi Hassan Ali. Officials described him as the central figure behind a network responsible for planning and executing major attacks targeting civilians and security forces.
Among the attacks attributed to him were the Oct. 4, 2025, assault at Godka Jilacow; the July 9, 2025, suicide bombing at Jaalle Siyaad Military Academy; and the Dec. 10, 2025, attack on the General Dhega-Badan Training School, also known as Xero Nacnac. Those incidents resulted in multiple deaths among civilians, soldiers and officers.

NISA said the operation followed more than 150 days of surveillance and pursuit. Officials said particular care was taken to minimize civilian harm, noting that the suspect frequently moved between populated areas, including Mubarak, Ugunji, Daarusalaam, Hantiwadaag, Kurtunwaarey and Gendershe in Lower Shabelle.

The agency said the strike was conducted in response to the killings of civilians and security personnel in the earlier attacks.

Independent verification of the operation and the identity of the militant was not immediately available.

Al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked extremist group, has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government for more than 16 years. The group regularly carries out bombings, assassinations and coordinated assaults against government installations, military bases and civilian targets.

Wednesday  4 Maarso 2026 {HMC}  The American military has named its first troops killed in the conflict between the US and Iran.

Six soldiers died when an “unmanned aircraft system” evaded air defences to hit a command centre in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, on Sunday.

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US Central Command initially said three soldiers died in the attack, but officials confirmed on Monday the death toll had doubled, after one person succumbed to injuries and two more bodies were found in the rubble.
These six are the only fatalities confirmed by the US military since it launched a new war against Iran with Israel.

Four of the deceased, all US Army Reserve soldiers, were identified on Tuesday by the US military: Capt Cody Khork, 35, Sgt Noah Tietjens, 42, Sgt Nicole Amor, 39, and Sgt Declan Coady, 20.

Khork, a Florida resident, had previously deployed to Saudi Arabia, Guantanamo Bay and Poland.

Amor, of Minnesota, previously deployed to Kuwait and Iraq. Tietjens, a Nebraska resident, had twice before deployed to Kuwait. All three were decorated service members.

Coady was posthumously promoted from specialist, the US military said. The Iowa resident enlisted in the Army Reserve just three years ago.

In a briefing on Monday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said a “powerful weapon” had struck a “tactical operations centre that was fortified”.

Three US military officials with direct knowledge of Iran’s attack told the BBC’s US partner CBS that the service members were working in a makeshift office space.

They questioned whether the building had been adequately fortified, telling CBS News a trailer was being used as an office, with 12ft (3.7m) steel-reinforced concrete barriers to shield it.

The US has a long-standing defence relationship with Kuwait, and more than 13,000 American soldiers are stationed in the Gulf nation.

Iran has responded to attacks against it by launching missiles at Gulf countries allied with the US. Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar have all also seen strikes.

Separately in Kuwait, the US confirmed three fighter jets were downed after what it described as an incident of “friendly fire” on Monday.

Footage showed the jets spiralling to the ground. The pilots involved all managed to eject and survived the incident.

Iran state media claimed the Iranian military had shot down the jets, without providing evidence.