Somalia PM bids farewell to departing American troops
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Staff reporter Garowe Online
- Posted On 03-01-2021, 11:26AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble on Sunday visited US troops serving at Balligodle Army base in Lower Shabelle, just a few days before the formal exit of the soldiers from Somalia, a country which has been struggling with instability for over two decades.
The US has servicemen in Somalia with most of them usually helping in training the special Danab forces besides helping in giving aerial surveillance during sophisticated operations especially in the areas that are occupied by the Al-Shabaab.
Some reports say the Somali PM traveled to the conflict-hit region to bid farewell to the departing US forces, who are leaving behind weak local troops who are unable to maintain control of the base camp.
There are between 650 and 800 U.S. troops in Somalia at any given time, mainly training and advising Somali forces in their fight against various terror groups.
The base, about 100km (60 miles) west of the capital Mogadishu, is said to house US special forces, Somali special forces. It is used as a launch site for US drones as well as being a training center.
Roble's trip comes just a few days before US troops formally leave Somalia for elsewhere in the world. The Department of Defense confirmed the exit reports which were authorized by outgoing President Donald Trump, who is keen to downsize the US troops serving in foreign countries.
In September 2019, a U.S. service member suffered a concussion injury from a car bomb attack by Al-Shabaab at the U.S. military airfield in Somalia, according to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM).
The planned exit elicited sharp concerns from a number of stakeholders in Somalia, with President Farmajo saying that the move would "destabilize the country and erode" achievements made so far. It's not clear what message Roble is taking to the US army in several parts of Somalia.
Despite outcry from the stakeholders, the US has maintained that the program will go on as planned but the troops will only be deployed elsewhere in East Africa. Sources affirm that Kenya and Djibouti are the likely destinations for the soldiers who are serving in the US Africa Command.
Even with the planned exit, there have been ongoing raids against regions believed to be under Al-Shabaab by the US Africa Command. For instance, the soldiers attacked an Al-Shabaab compound in Kunya-barrow, an area within Lower Shabelle.
The US troops have often come under Al-Shabaab attack throughout their stay in Somalia. But in 2019, the troops managed to thwart an attack plotted by the militants in the Balligodle Army base after intense fighting, and the team has also managed to secure many pro-Alshabaab zones.
GAROWE ONLINE
