Commander of U.S. Africa Command Begins High-level Visit To Ethiopia, Somaliland, and Puntland {PHOTOS}

Mogadishu (Kaab TV) –  Commander of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), Gen. Dagvin Anderson, has begun the first leg of a series of high-level visits to Africa, with stops in Ethiopia and in Somalia’s member states of Somaliland and Puntland.

During the visit, Gen. Anderson met with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Field Marshal Birhanu to discuss the growing threat posed by ISIS and al-Shabaab.

He later traveled to Somaliland to meet with President Cirro and General Osman, including a visit to New Berbera Port to assess its capacity.

In Puntland, he met with Vice President Ilyas and General Ayden, praising their ongoing maximum-pressure campaign against ISIS in the Golis Mountains and emphasizing the need to intensify operations.

Gen. Anderson emphasized that AFRICOM continues to provide unique capabilities and specialized resources that only the United States can offer—supporting partners, countering terrorist influence, and defending the U.S. homeland.

In a statement on Monday, AFRICOM said Gen. Anderson’s message underscores that the United States supports “maximum pressure” on ISIS, al-Shabaab, and other violent extremist organizations.

The trip aligned with President Trump’s priorities and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s guidance is part of a renewed push to reinforce Washington’s commitment to counterterrorism operations across the continent, with an emphasis on protecting the U.S. homeland.

“The whole reason I came here is because we have shared threats,” Anderson said. “I’m not new to this region; I understand what the issues are, and we’re here to help empower our African partners to address these threats in a united way,” the statement reads.

AFRICOM concluded that Africa remains a theater on which the U.S. cannot afford to lose focus a complex and evolving environment where security challenges extend beyond the continent, shaping European and global stability, including the security of the United States.