Biden sending US troops back to Somalia, reversing Trump pullout

[Geee]

NY Post

President Biden signed off this month on a plan returning US troops to Somalia — and reversing former President Donald Trump’s pullout of roughly 700 troops from the East African country.

Biden authorized a “persistent” US military presence in the East African country, with an estimated cap of 500 Americans, a US official said Monday on a White House-organized call. The move was first reported by the New York Times. 

The troops will help Somalia’s fledgling government fight the al-Shabaab militant group, which is affiliated with al Qaeda.

“We are proud, first and foremost, to be supporting the Somalis’ own efforts to rebuild their own state and we are working closely with other international partners,” the US official said before side-stepping a reporter’s question about the possibility of US troops fighting a “forever” war in the country — a concept against which both Biden and Trump campaigned.