Was this really necessary?
According to a Fox News Report, President Joe Biden has authorized the deployment of Special Operations troops inside Somalia.
Citing a source described as a “senior U.S. defense official,” the Fox News report reveals that the decision came alongside the approval of a Pentagon request for standing authority to target approximately a dozen suspected leaders of the al-Shabab terrorist group operating within the borders of Somalia.
The revelations come over a year after a Pentagon announcement that the “majority” of U.S. troops previously stationed in Somalia would be removed from the east African country in early 2021.
At the time, Pentagon officials revealed that the nearly 700 U.S. soldiers stationed in Somalia would not be returning to U.S. soil but would be stationed in neighboring countries or other regions.
In a statement made to the New York Times, Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the Nationals Security Council, said the move “to reintroduce a persistent presence was made to maximize the safety and effectiveness of our forces and enable them to provide more efficient support to our partners,” she added that decision enables “a more effective fight against al-Shabab.”
The New York Times, citing an intelligence official, said that al-Shabab, which has links to Al Qaeda, now had an estimated 10,000 fighters.
