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ADDIS ABABA – President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Somalia in the waning days of his presidency aroused the dismay of some Somalis on Saturday, who appealed to the incoming US president to reverse the decision.
“The US decision to withdraw troops from Somalia at this critical stage of the successful fight against al-Shabab and their global terror network is extremely deplorable,” Senator Ayub Ismail Yusuf told Reuters in a statement, referring to the -Shabab uprising.
“US troops have made a huge contribution and have had a great impact on the training and operational effectiveness of Somali soldiers,” said Yusuf, a member of the Somali Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.
He tagged US President-elect Joe Biden in a tweet criticizing the decision.
The Somali government could not be reached immediately on Saturday for comment on Friday’s decision to withdraw nearly all of the approximately 700 US troops by January 15.
Somalia’s fragile, internationally backed government is expected to hold parliamentary elections this month and national elections in early February, a precursor to the planned withdrawal of the 17,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force.
US troops have been in Somalia, mostly supporting Somali special forces known as Danab in operations against al-Shabab, whose attacks in nations like Kenya and Uganda have killed hundreds of civilians, including Americans.
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Danab strikes above its weight because regular forces are often poorly trained and equipped, often abandoning their posts or embroiled in power struggles between national and regional governments.
If the withdrawal is permanent, it “will take a huge toll on counter-terrorism efforts,” said Colonel Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who served for three years until 2019 as commander of the Danab.
He fought alongside US forces, he said, and during his command two Americans and more than a hundred of his men had died. Both US and Somali forces opposed the withdrawal, he said.
The US program to expand Danab to 3,000 men was expected to continue until 2027, the Sheikh said, but its future is unclear.
Air strikes will likely continue from bases in Kenya and Djibouti, which could also provide a springboard for cross-border operations. Human rights group Amnesty International says airstrikes have killed at least 16 civilians in the past three years.
The US withdrawal comes at a turbulent time in the region. Ethiopia, which is a major troop contributor to peacekeeping forces and has thousands more in Somalia bilaterally, is distracted by an internal conflict that broke out last month. He has already disarmed hundreds of his blue helmets.
Somalia has been torn apart 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 remain with the Somali military, including corruption and political interference. Perhaps a withdrawal will force Somalia to face them, the sheikh said, or perhaps it will make them worse.
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