[ad_1]
“I directed the activation of a joint task force, JTF-Quartz, built around the headquarters of Special Operations Command-Africa, to oversee Operation Octave Quartz, the directed re-positioning of U.S. forces from Somalia to other bases in East Africa,” mentioned Gen. Stephen Townsed, the commander of US Africa Command, in a press release Saturday.
“The President of the United States has ordered the Department of Defense and the United States Africa Command to reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021,” the Pentagon mentioned in a press release on the time.
US troops in Somalia primarily prepare and advise native Somali forces as they battle al Qaeda’s largest affiliate, Al-Shabaab. The US army additionally carries out airstrikes in opposition to Al-Shabaab and the native ISIS affiliate within the nation, killing a high Al-Shabaab chief in a focused strike in September.
CNN beforehand reported {that a} Pentagon inspector basic report discovered that the terrorist menace in East Africa will not be degraded and that Somali forces should not ready to confront the menace with out US help.
“Despite many years of sustained Somali, US, and international counterterrorism pressure, the terrorist threat in East Africa is not degraded: Al-Shabaab retains freedom of movement in many parts of southern Somalia and has demonstrated an ability and intent to attack outside of the country, including targeting US interests,” the inspector basic report mentioned.
Townsend, in his assertion on Saturday, emphasised that “the U.S. is not withdrawing or disengaging from East Africa.”
“We remain committed to helping our African partners build a more secure future,” he mentioned. “We also remain capable of striking Al-Shabaab at the time and place of our choosing—they should not test us.”
[ad_2]
Source hyperlink