Following reports President Donald Trump may remove US military presence from Somalia, the East African country’s leader has urged the American government to shelve the plan.
Somalian President Mohamed Farmaajo in a series of tweets on Friday sought to continue security cooperation with the U.S.
Earlier this week, media reports indicated that U.S. President Donald Trump had expressed the desire to withdraw U.S. troops from Somalia.
This will allow Trump to keep his campaign promises and return servicemen back home.
“The U.S. military support to Somalia has enabled us to effectively combat Al-Shabab and secure the Horn of Africa.
“A victory through this journey and for Somali-U.S. partnership can only be achieved through continuous security partnership and capacity building support,” Farmaajo said on Twitter.
The U.S. military has about 700 troops in Somalia – mostly from Special Operations forces – who have been helping local authorities to fight against Al-Shabab terrorist group.
Al-Shabab emerged in Somalia in 2006 and has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks throughout the region.
Al-Shabab has sworn allegiance to the Al-Qaeda terror group, which is banned in Russia.
In 2019, a report emerged that the U.S. was planning to reduce its military presence in the African country and reduce the intensity of airstrikes against Al-Shabab.