House rejects Gaetz pitch to withdraw all US forces from Somalia (Defense News)

House rejects Gaetz pitch to withdraw all US forces from Somalia – By Bryant Harris (Defense News) / April 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday voted 101-321 against withdrawing U.S. troops in Somalia even as Africa Command asks Congress for more funds to establish a “persistent presence” in the war-torn country.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., used expedited measures laid out in the War Powers Act to force a floor vote on his resolution, which would have directed President Joe Biden to remove all U.S. troops from Somalia – except for those assigned to protect the embassy – within a year.

“The future of Somalia must be determined by Somalia,” Gaetz said on the House floor ahead of the vote. “I would argue that the African Union is far better positioned to build a stronger sense of national identity and national unity among clans that have been warring in Somalia for generations than U.S. troops.”

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