Baledogle Airfield

Baledogle Airfield, also known as Wanlaweyn Airstrip is a military airbase located in the district of Wanlaweyn in Lower Shabelle region of Somalia. It is situated approximately 60 miles northwest of Mogadishu, halfway to Baidoa.[1]

Baledogle Airfield
Lower Shabelle, Somalia
Baledogle Airfield
Location in Somalia
Coordinates2°40′20″N 44°47′5″E
TypeAir force base
Airfield information
Elevation298 ft (91 m) AMSL

Formerly known as Beledai Amin Airfield, it was lengthened to 10,500 feet and paved in 1975.[2] The airport served as a base for the Somali Air Force.[3][4] During the UNOSOM II intervention, the airport was home to elements of the US 10th Mountain Division. It is currently used by multi-national forces including the United States which operates drones against Al-Shabaab militants.[5]

Facilities

The airfield has one runway labeled as 04/22 that measures 10,500 feet long. The airfield now has 6 constructed hangars by the American support mission; it previously only had 1 which had been destroyed during the civil war. There had been multiple sets of barracks to the north, east, south, and west of the runway, but those were abandoned and decomposed quickly after the start of the civil war.

American V-22's land at the airfield in January 2021.

Infrastructure at the airbase was expanded with the addition of 800 units of accommodation for American troops from June 2017 to May 2018. The construction of at least 208 beds was through the U.S. Army's Logistical Civil Augmentation Program and 600 beds were constructed under the Department of State's Africa Peacekeeping Program.[6] The buildup coincided with an escalation by U.S. forces in their fight against al Qaida-linked al-Shabaab.[7] The airfield is host to a regular contingent of US Marines and a Special Forces team. It is currently the headquarters of the Danab Brigade.[8]

Al-Shabaab militants attacked the base with car bombs in September 2019.[9]


A US drone operator launches a drone at Baledogle Airfield, February 2018


US Special Forces have a range day with Danab Brigade commandos at the airfield in April 2021.

References
  1. (ed.), Nina J. Fitzgerald (2002). Somalia : issues, history and bibliography. New York: Nova Science Publ. p. 28. ISBN 1590332652. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  2. "MILITARY/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 1 January 1975. p. 4. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  3. "Somalia: Al Shabaab Preparing for 'All-Out War'?". Stratfor. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. Hammer, Joshua. "Somalia's Somewhat Friendly Skies". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  5. "Exclusive: U.S. Operates Drones From Secret Bases in Somalia". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  6. Goldbaum, Christina (3 May 2018). "Exclusive: Massive military base buildup suggests the US shadow war in Somalia is only getting bigger". Vice Media. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. "Exclusive: Massive military base buildup suggests the U.S. shadow war in Somalia is only getting bigger". VICE News. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  8. "US helps Somali commando force grow from battalion to brigade". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  9. Sakelaris, Nicholas (September 30, 2019). "Car bombs target U.S. military base in Somalia". UPI. Al-Shabab militants attacked a U.S. airbase in Somalia Monday with a combination of car bombs and small arms fire, authorities said. The group claimed responsibility for the attack at the Ballidogle air base, located about 55 miles from the capital Mogadishu.


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