Somaliland President Pays Tribute to 9/11 Victims, Reaffirms U.S. Solidarity

By: Mohamed Duale

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 — Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, visited the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial on Friday to honour victims of the September 11 attacks, reaffirming Somaliland’s solidarity with the United States in combating terrorism.

The visit marked the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks. The memorial honours the 184 people killed at the Pentagon and aboard American Airlines Flight 77.

“Twenty-five years later, Somaliland remembers those whose lives were taken and stands firmly with the United States in combating the scourge of terrorism,” Somaliland’s representative office in Washington said in a statement on X.

Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, poses with members of his delegation at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial during a visit marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Arlington, Virginia, September 11, 2026.

Abdullahi toured the memorial alongside members of his delegation. Photographs released by the office showed the president pausing at memorial benches and speaking with people at the site.

The visit took place during his trip to Washington as Somaliland seeks to strengthen relations with the United States.

(Reporting by Mohamed Duale; Editing by Horn Diplomat Desk)