EGYPT has offered to deploy peacekeeping troops in Somalia as the mandate of an African Union force winds down.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi attended a summit on Thursday in the Eritrean capital Asmara, where he and the leaders of Somalia and Eritrea pledged strong co-operation on regional security.

Somali authorities said in a statement at the end of the summit that they welcomed Egypt’s offer to deploy troops in their country as part of a stabilisation force when the present African Union force disbands in December.

According to the statement, the leaders welcomed the African Union peace and security council's decision to launch the African Union Mission to Support Stabilisation in Somalia (Aussom), under whose mandate the Egyptians or others would be deployed.

A separate statement issued following the summit and signed by representatives of Somalia, Egypt and Eritrea asserted Somalia’s sovereign right to determine the composition, tasks and deployment timeline for the Aussom troops.

Since 2007, Somalia’s federal government has been supported by the African Union peacekeeping mission in fighting al-Qaida-linked jihadist group al-Shabab, which has carried out deadly attacks.