China News Agency, Washington, December 4 (Reporter Chen Mengtong) The US Department of Defense issued a statement on the 4th that President Trump has ordered that the US military will withdraw "most" personnel and equipment deployed in Somalia in early 2021.
This is the second time the United States has announced its troop withdrawal in three weeks.
US Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced on November 17 that the number of US troops stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq will be reduced to about 2500 respectively by mid-January next year.
The Pentagon did not announce the number of US troops evacuated from Somalia.
The statement stated that some of the US troops stationed in Somalia "may be re-deployed to areas outside East Africa," and the rest of the US troops stationed in Somalia will be deployed to neighboring countries so that the US and its allies can move across the border and maintain pressure on violent extremist organizations in Somalia.
The statement stated that this move does not mean that the United States "withdraws or breaks away" from Africa.
The adjustment of military deployment does not represent a change in relevant US policies.
The United States will retain the ability to conduct targeted counter-terrorism operations in Somalia and collect early warnings and information on local threats.
During Thanksgiving this year, Miller, who visited Somalia for the first time after taking office, made a surprise visit to Somalia.
He stayed in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, for a few hours and met with the US troops stationed in Somalia.
According to US media reports, the United States has about 700 soldiers deployed in Somalia.
For more than a decade, the United States has been training and assisting local security forces and assisting in the fight against the Somalia "Shabaab".
The Somali "Shabaab" is an extremist organization associated with the "Al Qaeda" organization. In recent years, it has launched many terrorist attacks in Somalia and its neighboring countries.
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