“ADDIS ABABA, Dec 5 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Somalia in the waning days of his presidency triggered dismay on Saturday from some Somalis, who appealed to the incoming U.S. president to reverse the decision. “The U.S. decision to pull troops out of Somalia at this critical stage in the successful fight against al-Shabaab and their global terrorist network is extremely regrettable,“ Senator Ayub Ismail Yusuf told Reuters in a statement, referring to the al Qaida-linked al Shabaab insurgency. “U.S. troops have made a huge contribution and had great impact on the training and operational effectiveness of Somali soldiers,” said Yusuf, a member of Somalia’s Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. He tagged U.S. President-elect Joe Biden in a tweet criticizing the decision. The Somali government could not immediately be reached for comment early on Saturday to Friday’s decision to withdraw almost all the roughly 700 U.S. troops by Jan. 15. Somalia’s fragile internationally-backed government is due to hold parliamentary elections this month and national elections in early February, a precursor to the planned drawdown of the 17,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force. U.S. troops have been in Somalia, mostly supporting Somalispecial forces known as Danab in operations against al Shabaab, whose attacks in nations like Kenya and Uganda have killed hundreds of civilians, including Americans. SUPPORTING SOMALI FORCES Danab punches above its weight because regular forces are often poorly trained and equipped, frequently desert their posts or become enmeshed in power struggles between the national and regional governments. If the withdrawal is permanent, “it will have a huge toll on counterterrorism efforts,” said Colonel Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who served for three years until 2019 as the Danab commander. He fought alongside U.S. forces, he said, and during his command two Americans and more than a hundred of his own men had died. Both U.S. and Somali forces opposed the withdrawal, he said. The U.S. program to expand Danab to 3,000 men was supposed to continue until 2027, Sheikh said, but its future is unclear. Airstrikes will likely continue from bases in Kenya and Djibouti, which could also provide a launchpad for cross-border operations. Rights group Amnesty International says the airstrikes have killed at least 16 civilians in the past three years. The U.S. withdrawal comes at a turbulent time in the region. Ethiopia, which is a major troop contributor to the peacekeeping forces and has thousands more troops in Somalia bilaterally, is distracted by an internal conflict that broke out last month. It has disarmed hundreds of its peacekeepers already. Somalia has been riven by civil war since 1991, but the entry of the peacekeeping force in 2008 helped incubate fledgling government structures that allowed for gradual reforms of the military, such as a biometric system to pay soldiers and the formation of Danab. But many problems with the Somali military remain, including corruption and political interference. Perhaps a withdrawal will force Somalia to confront them, said Sheikh. Or perhaps it will make them worse.
Trump Administration Lowballs Unemployment Benefits In New COVID-19 Offer
144 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["The latest stimulus offer from the White House comes with one-time $600 payments for most Americans and a lump of coal for the unemployed. The new proposal offered by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin swapped the $3...
Trump: Millions Of Americans Getting COVID-19 Is ‘Terrific’ And A ‘Powerful Vaccine’
130 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["President Donald Trump on Tuesday spun the high number of Americans who have been infected with COVID-19 as “terrific,” claiming falsely that all those cases serve as a “powerful vaccine.” “I think that the vaccine ...
Trump Lawyer Jenna Ellis Tests Positive For COVID-19: Reports
104 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Jenna Ellis, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, has reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a White House Christmas party for senior staff last week. Ellis was a guest of Trump trade adviser Peter...
Coronavirus Live Updates: Trump Administration Declined Multiple Offers To Secure More Vaccines For 2021
77 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["The first doses of the coronavirus vaccine were given in the U.K. on Tuesday, as cases continue to surge in the United States. To date, more than 14.9 million Americans have contracted the coronavirus, according to ...
Stephen Colbert: This Is The Closest We’ll Get To A Melania Trump Concession
180 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Stephen Colbert thinks first lady Melania Trump just came close to conceding the 2020 election on behalf of her voted-out husband, President Donald Trump. On Monday’s broadcast of “The Late Show,” host Colbert riffe...
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wail About ‘Tyranny’ Gets Flipped Back On Him
138 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["Donald Trump Jr. whined on Twitter about “tyranny” in the United States and many folks thought it was somewhat of a self-own. Donald Trump’s eldest son continued with his own efforts to overturn the 2020 election ― ...
Trump Asked Top Republican In Pennsylvania House To Intervene In Election: Report
72 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["President Donald Trump personally called the speaker of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives twice to ask him to help overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. election in the state, Trump’s latest effort to deny his...
1,500 Attorneys Call On Bar Associations To Condemn Trump Campaign Lawyers
218 Views0 Comments0 Likes
["In an open letter, 1,500 attorneys slammed the Donald Trump campaign for seeking to overturn the will of U.S. voters and called on bar associations to investigate lawyers who filed lawsuits on Trump’s behalf. The le...