Somalia

President Joe Biden is cranking back up the US government’s war in Somalia. Previously, President Donald Trump brought some reprieve in US military action in the African nation. But, intervention reducing developments in US foreign policy tend to face much pressure to end. In a Monday article at the New York Times, Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt relate some of the new developments in US military action in Somalia. The article begins with the following reporting of key developments:

Via The Daily Bell

If you hate the government so much, why don’t you move to Somalia?

That might soon be a great option. The truth is Somalia is not without government. It actually has multiple governments.

In the south, you see corruption, crime, and gang-like government oppression. This is what the United Nations and most of the international community call the official government of Somalia.

More than 100 al-Shabaab militants were killed Tuesday in the latest US airstrike in Somalia the Pentagon announced, the latest in a series of strikes against the al Qaeda affiliated group and ISIS fighters in the war-torn country meant to support the local government. The strike occurred 125 miles northwest of the capital of Mogadishu, and was the 29th such strike since the start of 2017, and 7th since November 9.

The Pentagon released the following statement commemorating the latest airstrike: 

Authored by Jason Ditz via AntiWar.com,

One of the many quiet escalations in countries where US military operations on the ground hadn’t really been well publicized in the first place, officials say that the US has more than doubled the number of ground troops in Somalia this year, and now have over 500 troops there.

This is the most troops the US have had in the country since 1993, when the Black Hawk Down incident killed 18 US soldiers and led to a quick withdrawal from the nation.

President Trump’s expansion of war is most evident in the skies of Somalia where an acceleration in drone strikes have been reported.

U.S. Africa Command has conducted fourteen airstrikes since August bringing the year’s total to eighteen. The increased tempo of airstrikes started in September between the Kismayo and Mogadisu region.