Trump Orders Most American Troops to Leave Somalia by Early 2021
The Pentagon said Friday it is pulling most US troops out of Somalia on President Donald Trump's orders.
Without providing details, the Pentagon said in a short statement that “a majority" of US troops and assets in Somalia will be withdrawn in early 2021. There are currently about 700 troops in that Horn of Africa nation, training and advising local forces in an extended fight against the extremist group al-Shabab, an affiliate of al-Qaeda.
Trump recently ordered troop drawdowns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he was expected to withdraw some or all troops from Somalia. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had said on Wednesday that the future structure of the US military presence in Somalia was still in debate.
The adjusted U.S. presence, Milley said, would amount to “a relatively small footprint, relatively low cost in terms of the number of personnel and in terms of money.” He provided no specifics but stressed that the US remained concerned about the threat posed by al-Shabab, which he called ”an extension of al-Qaeda," the extremist group that planned the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States from Afghanistan.
“They do have some reach and they could if left unattended conduct operations against not only US interests in the region but also against the homeland,” he said. “So they require attention.” Noting that Somalia remains a dangerous place for Americans, he said that a CIA officer was killed there recently.
Rep. Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat, criticized the Trump pullback in Somalia as a “surrender to al-Qaeda and a gift of China.” Langevin is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Intelligence and Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee.
“When U.S. forces leave Somalia in response to today’s order, it becomes harder for diplomats and aid workers to help people resolve conflicts without violence and loss of life,” Langevin said. “With upcoming elections in Somalia and conflict raging in neighboring Ethiopia, abandoning our partners could not come at a worse time.”
Langevin said China will use the opportunity to build its influence in the Horn of Africa.
The Pentagon said the drawdown in Somalia does not mark the end of US counterterrorism efforts there.
“As a result of this decision, some forces may be reassigned outside of East Africa,” it said. “However, the remaining forces will be repositioned from Somalia into neighboring countries in order to allow cross-border operations by both US and partner forces to maintain pressure against violent extremist organizations operating in Somalia.”
“The US will retain the capability to conduct targeted counterterrorism operations in Somalia, and collect early warnings and indicators regarding threats to the homeland," it added.
The nature of the threat posed by al-Shabab and the appropriate US response has been a matter of increasing debate in the Pentagon, which has been looking for opportunities to shift its focus toward China as a greater long-term challenge.
A Defense Department watchdog report last week said US Africa Command has seen a “definitive shift” this year in al-Shabab’s focus to attack US interests in the region. Africa Command says al-Shabab is Africa’s most “dangerous” and “imminent” threat.
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