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Authorities criticize the US move to withdraw troops from Somalia as a coup to fight the al-Shabab group.
Donald Trump’s decision to pull US troops out of Somalia in the final days of his presidency has drawn consternation from some Somalis, who called on incoming President Joe Biden to reverse the decision.
The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has between 650 and 800 soldiers on average in Somalia, Al Jazeera reported in November, including special forces helping train the Somali army.
The Pentagon said Trump ordered the withdrawal of “most” of US troops “by early 2021.”
The Somali government has yet to comment on Friday’s decision.
“The decision by the United States to withdraw troops from Somalia at this critical stage in the successful fight against al-Shabab and his global terrorist network is extremely regrettable,” Senator Ayub Ismail Yusuf told Reuters news agency in a statement. referring to al-Qaeda. – Linked group.
“US troops have made a great contribution and have had a great impact on the training and operational effectiveness of Somali soldiers,” Yusuf added.
He tagged Biden in a tweet criticizing the decision.
The decision of @POTUS to get the US security forces out of #Somalia it is inappropriate. The fight against global terrorism is still ongoing and we must still win this battle for peace and security to prevail. We must not give up on our successes @ US2SOMALIA @Joe Biden @RepAdamSmith
– Senator Ayub Ismail Yusuf (@AyubIsmailYusuf) December 5, 2020
Somalia’s fragile, internationally-backed government will hold parliamentary elections this month and national elections in early February.
US troops have been primarily supporting Somali special forces known as Danab in operations against al-Shabab, whose attacks in nations such as Kenya and Uganda have killed hundreds of civilians, including Americans.
If the withdrawal is permanent, “it will have a major impact on counterterrorism efforts,” according to Colonel Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who served as Danab commander for three years until 2019.
The American program to expand Danab to 3,000 men was supposed to continue until 2027, Sheikh said, but its future is now unclear.
William Lawrence of the American University in Washington, DC, said Trump’s move would harm American interests in East Africa.
“The blow from a US operations standpoint is that over time, it will lose its ability to Americanize on the ground and have more interaction with Somali troops,” he said.
“It is a real blow for Somalia. There is no good military or strategic reason for this move. The Pentagon’s reaction appears to be very negative. “
The US withdrawal comes at a turbulent time in the region.
Ethiopia, which is a major troop contributor to peacekeeping forces and has thousands more troops in Somalia on a bilateral basis, is distracted by an internal conflict that erupted last month.
It has already disarmed hundreds of its peacekeepers.
Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, but the entry of the peacekeeping force in 2008 helped incubate fledgling government structures that enabled gradual reforms of the army, such as a biometric system to pay soldiers and training. by Danab.
But many problems remain with the Somali military, including corruption and political interference.
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