Following a military cooperation agreement between Egypt and Somalia, members of Somalia's special commando forces who had been training in Cairo have graduated, according to reports from the country.

The Egyptian government says it trained the commandos with the aim of strengthening Somalia's national army. Egyptian media report that the course covered commando operations, counter-terrorism work, urban operations and airborne parachute training.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Cairo on Thursday 24 September, the commander of Somalia's special national forces, Brigadier General Adan Mohamed Omar, urged the graduates to apply the specialist skills they had acquired when they deploy across the country.

Egyptian officials said the main purpose of the training was to build capable Somali security forces able to take responsibility for operations against al-Shabaab.

The ceremony carries added weight coming as Egypt remains locked in a diplomatic dispute with Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam while working to expand its presence in Somalia.