Somalia offered to renew a deal that allows the US to access its ports and airports for military purposes, countering a similar proposal by the breakaway region of Somaliland.“Somalia and the US have a longstanding cooperation framework, including a 1980 agreement on port and airport access for US military purposes,” Ali Mohamed Omar Balcad, the state minister for foreign affairs, said in response to questions. “The federal government has recently offered to renew that agreement, which remains the appropriate and lawful channel for any security cooperation.”For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Foreign powers including are fostering deeper military cooperation with Somalia, drawn by its strategic location at the gateway to the Red Sea and its proximity to Yemen, where Houthi militants threaten key shipping routes.In recent decades, US engagement with the country has centered on counter-terrorism operations targeting the al-Qaeda-linked