DONALD TRUMP ORDERS MOST US TROOPS TO WITHDRAW FROM SOMALIA

Sat 05 December 2020:

The US will pull out a “majority” of its troops from Somalia, the Pentagon said Friday, vowing the action is not a policy change.

The Pentagon said Friday it is pulling most U.S. troops out of Somalia on President Donald Trump’s orders, continuing a post-election push by Trump to shrink U.S. involvement in counterterrorism missions abroad.

Without providing details, the Pentagon said in a short statement that “a majority” of U.S. troops and assets in Somalia will be withdrawn in early 2021. There are currently about 700 troops in the Horn of Africa nation, training and advising local forces in an extended fight against the extremist group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaida.

The acting secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, made a brief visit to Somalia last week and met with U.S. troops.

The defense department said in a statement that President Donald Trump ordered the agency and US AFRICOM “to reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021.”

It said Washington is disengaging from Africa and remains committed to African partners and enduring support through a whole-of-government approach.

“As a result of this decision, some forces may be reassigned outside of East Africa. However, the remaining forces will be repositioned from Somalia into neighboring countries to allow cross-border operations by both U.S. and partner forces to maintain pressure against violent extremist organizations operating in Somalia,” according to the statement.

The Pentagon vowed to “continue to degrade violent extremist organizations that could threaten our homeland while ensuring we maintain our strategic advantage in great power competition.”

The statement comes days after US Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller visited Mogadishu to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with military personnel.

In October, Bloomberg News reported that the Pentagon began drafting plans for Trump, who informed top advisers he wants to withdraw troops from Somalia.

The US has 650 – 800 troops in Somalia to help the African nation fight the al-Shabaab terror group.

Depending on what remains of the U.S. presence in Somalia when he takes office January 20, President-elect Joe Biden could reverse Trump’s drawdown or make other adjustments to reflect his counterterrorism priorities. The U.S. military also has a presence in neighboring Djibouti on the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

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