Drone strikes, which have killed numerous senior and midlevel al-Shabab commanders as well as dozens of civilians, will continue. Whether fears over the withdrawal, which is expected by mid-January, are fully merited is not yet clear. What seems certain, though, is that the brunt of the changes will be borne by Danab, an elite Somali force that the US military took under its wing after its formation in 2013. Col. Ahmed Abdullahi Sheikh, who commanded Danab between 2016 and 2019, said he expected the United States to continue funding and arming the elite force. But the crucial US “advise-and-assist” role — Americans helping Somali officers plan raids and accompanying them into firefights — will not be easily replaced, he said.

Source: bd News24 December 06, 2020 09:33 UTC