US Army: Our withdrawal from Somalia is complete

The US military announced the complete withdrawal of its forces from Somalia, less than a month before the date of the legislative elections that will be witnessed in this African country, which has suffered a lot of turmoil for decades, according to the Associated Press reported.

Some observers have considered that the departure of an estimated 700 soldiers comes at a very difficult time for Somalia, where the Al-Shabab terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda is active there and is still clearly active and continues to attack military and civilian targets in the capital, Mogadishu.

"It would be inappropriate for us to speculate or engage in assumptions," Colonel Chris Karns, spokesman for the US Africa Command, said in an email.

On December 4, US President Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of the "majority" of US forces from Somalia "by early 2021," that is, immediately before his departure from power.

He also accelerated the withdrawal of his forces from Afghanistan and Iraq in order to fulfill his promise to "end the endless wars" abroad during the last weeks of his tenure.

The commander of the US Africa Command "AFRICOM", General Stephen Townsend, confirmed on Saturday that the United States would not withdraw from East Africa.

He said, "To be clear, the United States is not withdrawing or seceding from East Africa. We remain committed to helping our African partners build a more secure future."

"Just as we are still able to strike al-Shabaab at the time and place we choose, they should not test us," he added.

Most of the 700 people leaving Somalia will be redeployed to Kenya or Djibouti, where they will be able to maintain pressure on Al-Shabaab.

J.O