Baghdad, Iraq – Somalia’s Defence Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, held a high-level meeting with his Iraqi counterpart, Thabit al-Abbasi, on Saturday at the headquarters of the Iraqi Ministry of Defence in Baghdad.
The bilateral talks focused on strengthening defence cooperation between the two nations, with particular emphasis on military collaboration and counterterrorism efforts.
The two ministers discussed the exchange of expertise, joint training programs, and the potential for intelligence sharing to combat regional threats posed by extremist groups.
Fiqi praised Iraq’s experience in counterinsurgency and expressed Somalia’s interest in learning from Iraq’s military reforms and strategies.
In turn, minister al-Abbasi welcomed Somalia’s efforts to stabilize its security sector and pledged Iraq’s readiness to support Somalia’s capacity-building and modernization plans.
The meeting marks a significant step in Somalia’s growing efforts to forge strategic defence partnerships beyond the Horn of Africa.
Both sides agreed to form a technical working group to further outline actionable areas of cooperation in the coming months.
This engagement underscores the commitment of both countries to mutual security interests and regional stability.