Marine Corps General Thomas Waldhauser told reporters in a conference call that the dozens of additional American soldiers being sent to Somalia are “logisticians” rather than infantry troops. This “long-scheduled deployment” is primarily intended to help to train Somali forces to become more effective in fighting Al-Shabaab, said Gen Waldhauser. He also disputed media reports that the [Donald] Trump administration has “loosened rules for authority to strike” Al-Shabaab targets. African Union forces had difficulties in rooting out Al-Shabaab because they are “native Somalis” who “melt with the population”, Lt-Gen Soubagleh remarked. African Union special representative for Somalia Francisco Madeira affirmed during the conference call that Amisom intends to start withdrawing its forces in a year.

Source: Daily Nation April 20, 2017 20:03 UTC