While unlikely to happen before Israel's 2026 legislative election, the United States is growing more likely to recognize Somaliland's statehood in the medium term to secure basing rights in the territory, which would likely undermine U.S.-Somalia security cooperation, drive Mogadishu closer to Turkey, and threaten a political crisis in Somalia. On Aug. 8, U.S. President Donald Trump said that his administration was ''looking into'' recognizing the independence of Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland. This came after Bloomberg reported on July 30 that Somaliland's government had offered to grant Washington access to a military base on its territory as well as critical mineral deals in exchange for the United States' recognition of its statehood. Furthermore, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, confirmed that his government had held talks with the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. ambassador in Somalia. Nonetheless, a State Department official told Fox News on...
