US government is likely sending its troops back to Somalia just about six months after pulling them all out of the country.
AFRICOM boss Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said the Pentagon under President Joe Biden is in the final stages of changing the force posture in the region.
“I’ve been communicating back and forth with my civilian leaders in the Department of Defense, the Secretary of Defense, giving him options,” Townsend said. “And I think we’ll keep those options right where they should be, in private communications with the Secretary Defense, so our civilian leaders have the opportunity to make their decisions.”
Townsend said it is his belief that the best way to work with partners in Africa is “side-by-side, face-to-face, shoulder-to-shoulder,” and it’s gotten much more difficult to do that with American forces flying in for short periods of time.
“There’s really no denying that our … fairly sudden repositioning out of Somalia earlier this year has introduced new layers of risk and complexity to our mission there,” Townsend said. “So, what we’re trying to do is manage that risk and complexity as we still try to help our African partners with their security challenges,” Townsend said.
Late last year, under the executive order of the then president Donald Trump, US announced the withdrawal of its troops. In March, United States military said it completed withdrawing troops from Somalia.
US government has been cooperating with Somalia and Kenya in the fight against al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda affiliate group based in the horn of Africa nation.
Since 2007, US military operation had conducted dozens of airstrikes against al-Shabaab, with some of the missiles the group’s top leaders including Adan Hashi Eyrow and Ahmed Godane who were founders of the group.
