Somaliland willing to send up to 2,000 troops to Gaza force, president says

WASHINGTON – Somaliland is willing to contribute up to 2,000 soldiers to the International Stabilization Force planned for Gaza but is waiting for the US or Israel to ask, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi said on Wednesday.“If they ask, we can provide,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the MEAD conference.Although Somaliland is not volunteering, “if they ask me, I am ready,” he stressed.Uganda has approved a contingent of some 1,200 troops, while Morocco has committed up to 500. Albania, Kazakhstan, and Kosovo have also pledged personnel to the US-led force, which is intended eventually to deploy about 20,000 soldiers in Gaza.The force's tasks are set to include maintaining security, training Palestinian police, facilitating humanitarian aid, and preventing Hamas from reestablishing its military control.Somaliland has an army of about 25,000 soldiers and a coast guard of some 1,500 personnel, Abdullahi said.