Somali Minister of Defence welcomes new AFRICOM Commander

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The Somali Minister of Defence, Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur, today received in his office the new (AFRICOM) Commander to Somalia, Gen. Michael Langley, following his arrival in Mogadishu.

Minister Abdulqadir expressed the Somali government’s deep appreciation for the role AFRICOM has continued to play in the region in ensuring that stability reigns.

The Defence Minister in a Twitter post added that the Somali government, together with AFRICOM, would share mutual commitment in “enhancing the capacity and capabilities of the (Somali National Army Forces (SNAF) and fighting alshabab.”

On August 19, Gen. Michael Langley assumed command of US military operations in Africa as the highest ranking US commander.

He is the second African-American commander of AFRICOM, which has between 6,000 and 7,000 troops deployed throughout Africa.