US Donates Over 60 Tons of Weaponry to Somalia for Fight Against Militants – By Mohamed Olad Hassan (VOA News) / Mar 1, 2023
WASHINGTON — The United States has donated more than 60 tons of weapons and ammunition to the Somali National Army, or SNA, to boost ongoing operations against the militant group al-Shabab and for future training of an elite infantry unit, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu.
A statement from the embassy Wednesday said the weapons arrived in Mogadishu’s international airport aboard two U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo planes that were greeted by Somalia’s minister of defense and chief of defense forces, as well as Embassy Mogadishu Chargé d’Affaires Tim Trinkle.
According to the U.S. statement, the weapons included “Sixty-one tons of AK-47s, heavy machine guns, and ammunition.”
“This military assistance will support the current SNA operations against al-Shabab in Galmadug and Jubaland States and the next intake of the SNA Danab Advanced Infantry Brigade, for which the recruitment process has already started,” said the statement.
