{"id":70163,"date":"2021-01-17T22:18:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-17T22:18:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/01\/17\/us-military-says-troop-withdrawal-from-somalia-is-complete\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T13:48:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T13:48:10","slug":"us-military-says-troop-withdrawal-from-somalia-is-complete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2021\/01\/17\/us-military-says-troop-withdrawal-from-somalia-is-complete\/","title":{"rendered":"US military says troop withdrawal from Somalia is complete"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NAIROBI, Kenya \u2014 The U.S. military says its troop withdrawal from Somalia is complete<\/a>, in one of the last actions of President Donald Trump\u2019s presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some experts have warned that the withdrawal of an estimated 700 U.S. military personnel comes at the worst possible time for Somalia<\/a>, as the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group improves its bomb-making skills and continues to attack military and civilian targets even in the capital, Mogadishu. The withdrawal comes less than a month before Somalia is set to hold a national election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. personnel trained and supported Somali forces, including its elite special forces, in counter-terror operations. They are being moved to other African countries such as neighboring Kenya and Djibouti, home of the only permanent U.S. military base in Africa, but U.S. Africa Command spokesman Col. Chris Karns would not say how many are going where.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t