US Modifying Presence In Somalia To Counter Al-Shabab Terror Group - Joint Chiefs Chair

US Modifying Presence in Somalia to Counter Al-Shabab Terror Group - Joint Chiefs Chair

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2020) The United States is working on modifying the presence of US forces in Somalia in order to counter the al-Shabab terror group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda (banned in Russia), US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley said during a Brookings Institution panel discussion on Wednesday.

"Somalia is an ongoing debate right this minute - not so much as to what our footprint is, it's what the footprint will look like," Milley said.

"We recognize that al-Shabab in the lower Jubba river valley is a threat... We're taking a hard look at the repositioning of the force to better enable us to conduct counterterrorism operations."

Milley said al-Shabab if left unattended may conduct operations against US interests and potentially operations that could reach American soil.

Milley said the US presence in Somalia is small and low cost but high risk, pointing out that a CIA officer was killed in the country last month.