US President Joe Biden ordered redeployment this Monday hundreds of soldiers Americans in Somalia, a country retired in 2021to more effectively combat the jihadist group Al Shabab.
Biden also approved the Pentagon’s request to search and launch airstrikes against a dozen leading suspects. al-Shabaab, An al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group that controls rural areas of central and southern Somalia, an official US source told Efe.
A senior White House official told reporters the number of US troops to be deployed in Somalia, “less than 500“The figure is less than 750 withdrawn from the African country in early 2021 at the behest of US President Donald Trump.
This resource avoided qualifiers”goalkeeper“He expressed that there would be a new US military presence in Somalia, and this will happen,” he said.goalkeeper“Given that Washington does not plan to leave its troops on Somali soil forever.
US forces that left Somalia more than a year ago traveled and made brief visits to neighboring countries as part of their mission to train the Somali military. African Union He is fighting against al-Shabab.
The Pentagon concluded that this system did not work well, and White House trying to neutralize the leaders of the terrorist group by increasing the authority to bomb in Somalia, as well as giving the green light to a new deployment.
officials To manage Acting in this way from Biden, he explained, they saw that with the returning forces traveling for weeks or months, shipping and packaging material’s time was wasted, as well as putting it at greater risk of attack and interrupted by the temporary nature of your business. mission.
In parallel, the source added that during this time, al-Shabaab became part of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda.bigger, richer and deadlierUnfortunately, it just got stronger.”
“They have stepped up the pace of their attacks, including against the Americans,” he said, adding that Al Shabaab is now “a notable priority“In the fight against terrorism.
According to official sources consulted by the US, until now US forces could only resort to bombing in defense of US military allies when faced with an immediate threat. New York Times.
Biden agreed to deploy these troops in early May, a decision that contradicts his order to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan. a measure that is chaotic to carry out.
The official said that the soldiers currently deployed in Somalia will continue the work of their colleagues and provide training to turn intelligence into operations, provide defense assistance to local troops and “sometimes“They will take on offensive missions.
Somalia has been in a state of conflict and chaos since the dictator was overthrown in 1991. Mohammed Siad Barre, This left the country without an effective government and in the hands of warlords and Islamist militias, causing experts to view the country as a failed state.
Al-Shabaab, which joined the Al-Qaeda network in 2012, frequently organizes bloody attacks in the capital. Mogadishuwith the aim of overthrowing the central government and forcibly establishing a Wahhabi-style Islamic State (ultra-conservative).
Source: Informacion
