US president Joe Biden has approved the establishment of a small but “persistent” military presence in Somalia, reversing the Trump administration’s withdrawal of some 750 troops from the country in the Horn of Africa.
Biden’s decision was made in light of growing concern about the threat posed by al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terrorist network affiliated with al-Qaeda, following a recommendation from US defence secretary Lloyd Austin, senior US administration officials said on Monday.
“[Al-Shabaab] has become al-Qaeda’s largest global affiliate, it has become the best financed of al-Qaeda’s global affiliates, and the pace with which it engages in attacks, and often lethal attacks, is quite appalling,” a senior US official said.