Washington re-establishes military presence in Somalia
A US brigadier talks to his soldiers during an operation in Somalia, September 5, 2020. AP - Senior Airman Kristin Savage
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
We are moving towards the return of a permanent American military presence in Somalia.
US President Joe Biden authorized, on Monday, May 16, the sending of troops to the country from which US forces had withdrawn, at the end of Donald Trump's mandate.
Advertisement
Read more
With our correspondent in Washington,
Guillaume Naudin
Several hundred special forces soldiers will be redeployed to Somalia from countries in the region.
The exact number is not specified, but the
New York Times
understands that it will be around 450.
At the time of the
withdrawal decided by Donald Trump
, they were about 700. Since then, American soldiers have been going back and forth to train and advise Somali and African Union soldiers.
This new mechanism is likely to reinforce the effectiveness of American action.
According to a senior administration official, the White House's strategy is to limit the threat of Al-Shabaab by suppressing their ability to plan and carry out heavy operations.
In addition to this decision, the American president also gives his agreement to target a dozen Shebab officials.
This is also a significant change.
Upon taking office, US President Joe Biden suspended a rather permissive set of rules regarding targeted strikes.
Since then, except in cases of self-defense, it was necessary to refer before to the White House.
Read also: The last American soldiers have left Somalia, a month before the elections
American intelligence estimates between 5,000 and 10,000 the number of militiamen operating mainly in Somalia, but also in neighboring countries.
A sufficiently serious threat to justify this reinforcement of the American military presence on the spot.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_EN
Somalia
United States
Defense
Shebabs