Biden Deploys Counterterror Forces Back to Somalia, Overturning Trump Move – By Paul D. Shinkman (US News) / May 16, 2022
Al-Shabab is aligned with the Islamic State group and remains a potent threat, having carried out an attack last week on Burundian soldiers serving in Somalia.
President Joe Biden announced Monday the U.S. will deploy forces back to Somalia to counter a growing terrorism threat there, overturning one of his predecessor’s final acts as commander in chief.
Then-President Donald Trump a month after losing the 2020 presidential election ordered the unilateral withdrawal of the roughly 700 U.S. counterterrorism and support forces operating in concert with the local government in Somalia. He did not offer a thorough explanation at the time, drawing widespread concerns about the persistent threat by local groups such as al-Shabab with designs on attacking the U.S. and its regional interests. The Pentagon insisted at the time that the U.S. was “not withdrawing or disengaging from Africa.”
Al-Shabab, previously aligned with al-Qaida, switched its loyalty to the Islamic State group in 2015 and remains a potent threat. It carried out an attack earlier this month on Burundian soldiers serving in Somalia under an operation known as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, or ATMIS.
“The United States remains steadfast in support of ATMIS and against the scourge of terrorism,” the State Department said in a statement on May 5, two days after the attack.
