Baledogle Airfield, also known as Wanlaweyn Airstrip is a

military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

located in the district of Wanlaweyn in Lower Shabelle region of

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. It is situated approximately 60 miles northwest of

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...

, halfway to the city of

Baidoa Baidoa (, Somali: Maay.html"_;"title="f-Maxaa:_Baydhabo,_Maay">f-Maxaa:_Baydhabo,_Maay:_''Baydhowy)''_is_the_largest_city_of_the_South_West_State_of_Somalia. Between_2002_and_2014,_Baidoa_was_the_capital_of_the_South_West_State_of_Somalia.html ...

History

Pre Civil War

Formerly known as Beledai Amin Airfield, it was lengthened to 10,500 feet and paved in 1975. The airport served as a base for the

Somali Air Force "Lean Together" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment = , equipment_l ...

and had been in part built by the

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in th ...

UNOSOM era

During the

UNOSOM II United Nations Operation in Somalia II (UNOSOM II) was the second phase of the United Nations intervention in Somalia and took place from March 1993 until March 1995, following the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991. UNOSOM II carried on ...

, the airport was home to elements of the US

10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...

War on Terror

Following the 2007 U.S. intervention in Somalia, Baledogle Airfield (referred to as Camp Baledogle) became used as a training center and base of operations for

AMISOM The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...

peacekeepers,

AFRICOM The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM, U.S. AFRICOM, and AFRICOM), is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U ...

and American drones. The Somali commando

Danab Brigade The Danab Brigade (Somali language, Somali: Ciidamada Danab, "''Lightning Force"'') is a highly trained Somali National Army commando force. Its strikes have repeatedly raided land in quick succession previously held by Somali Al-Qaeda linked ins ...

is trained and headquartered at the camp. Danab_range_day_Baledogle

In 2018 the U.S. Department of Defense gave out an over $12 million dollar contract for emergency runway repairs at the base. According to the Air Force Times, new runway repairs appeared to be aimed at stepping up the capabilities of the airfield and possibly expanding the US military footprint in Somalia. 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. The buildup coincided with an escalation by U.S. forces in their fight against al Qaida-linked al-Shabaab. Joint Task Force Quartz repositions U

September 2019 Attack

Later referred to as ''"the most formidable publicly known attacks on U.S. forces in Somalia in 30 years"'' on 30 September 2019 Al-Shabaab militants attacked the base with a car bombs and infantry. According to military officials, the militants had been repulsed without breaching the perimeter fence and no casualties had been taken.'''' Despite the successful defence, it was noted that the attack showed Al-Shabaab maintained a good intelligence network and possessed the capability to carry out complex operations.

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. The buildup coincided with an escalation by U.S. forces in their fight against al Qaida-linked al-Shabaab. The airfield is host to a regular contingent of

US Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and a

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

team. It is currently the headquarters of the

References

Airports in Somalia Military installations of Somalia {{Somalia-geo-stub