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· The American soldiers from Somalia will be withdrawn by early 2021. US President Donald Trump has issued an order yesterday to this effect
· However, the Pentagon statement added that the US was not “withdrawing” or “disengaging” from Africa and that some forces could be reassigned outside of East Africa
· The troop cut from Somalia is the latest in a planned global pullback of US personnel before Trump leaves office in January
Close to 7000 US soldiers are currently deployed in Somalia, according to sources in the Pentagon. The responsibility of the US forces present in Somalia include training the local forces of the elite Danab special forces and assisting them in their fight against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group in counterterrorism missions.
However, the Pentagon statement added that the US was not “withdrawing” or “disengaging” from Africa and that some forces could be reassigned outside of East Africa. The US will instead “retain the capability to conduct targeted counterterrorism operations in Somalia, and collect early warnings and indicators regarding threats to the homeland. Trump had recently ordered similar troop withdrawals from Germany, Afghanistan and Iraq. The troop cut from Somalia is the latest in a planned global pullback of US personnel before Trump leaves office in January.
