Trump Orders The Withdrawal Of Most U.S. Forces From Somalia

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A U.S. Army soldier, seen at an unidentified location in Somalia earlier this year. The Trump administration announced Friday that most U.S. troops stationed in the country will be pulled out in early 2021.

Staff Sgt. Shawn White/Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa via AP

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Staff Sgt. Shawn White/Combined Joint Task Force — Horn of Africa via AP

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Now significant change is in store soon for troops stationed in Somalia. Those forces have been supporting the country’s counterterrorism operations against al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked Islamist militant group, in a training mission that had been expected to continue for years. But the majority of U.S. personnel in the country is now expected to leave before the incoming Biden administration takes office on January 20.

The sudden shift comes just a week after Miller stopped in Somalia for a Thanksgiving visit with troops there. It also comes less than two weeks after the release of a report by the Pentagon’s inspector general, which quoted U.S. Africa Command as saying that al-Shabab «remains adaptive, resilient, and capable of attacking Western and partner interests in Somalia and East Africa.

The announcement has left some U.S. partners in the country worried about what is to come in Somalia, where parliamentary and presidential elections are scheduled for this month and February, respectively. One Somali senator called the Trump administration decision «untimely.

«The fight against global terrorism is still ongoing and we must still win this battle for peace and security to prevail, Ayub Ismail Yusuf tweeted after the announcement of the drawdown. «We must not give up on our successes.