President Trump Signals He Wants To Scale Back U.S. Forces In Somalia

Al Shabaab militants parade new recruits after arriving in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Oct. 21, 2010.Feisal Omar / Reuters file

NBC: Pentagon plans to scale back in Somalia, latest sign Trump wants to cut troops abroad

President Trump ordered U.S. troops out of Syria and is weighing a possible drawdown in Afghanistan. Now Somalia could see a reduced role for U.S. forces.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military plans to scale back its role in Somalia and curtail airstrikes against al-Shabab insurgents after having taken out many of the group's senior operatives, two senior U.S. officials told NBC News, the latest signal the Trump administration is looking to cut the number of troops deployed around the world.

The move reflects an assessment by the administration that while the Shabab insurgency remains a threat to the Somali government and neighboring countries, it does not pose a direct danger to the U.S., current and former officials said. And it follows President Donald Trump's abrupt announcement last month that he had ordered U.S. forces out of Syria and asked for plans to be drawn up for a possible drawdown in Afghanistan.

Former officials and counterterrorism experts say if the Trump administration presses ahead with its plans it could create a dangerous opening for al Qaeda, ISIS and other extremists to carve out sanctuaries and launch terrorist attacks on U.S. and Western targets.

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Update: Pentagon plans to cut troops, airstrikes in Somalia: report (The Hill).

WNU Editor: The Horn of Africa has been a hotbed for extremism for years. In the end it is the Somalis and neighbouring countries that will need to handle Al-Shabaab.