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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
Coordinates	2°40′20″N 44°47′5″E
Type	Air force base
Airfield information
Elevation	298 ft (91 m) AMSL

Units and history

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]

Al-Shabaab militants attacked the base with car bombs in September 2019.[6]

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.

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.[7] The buildup coincided with an escalation by U.S. forces in their fight against al Qaida-linked al-Shabaab.[8] 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.[9]

References

External links

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