(CNN) US forces that had been positioned in Somalia have begun their withdrawal from the country and redirected to other bases in East Africa. Earlier this month, President Donald Trump ordered the majority of US troops to leave Somalia "by early 2021," in just one of the major military policy decisions being taken in the final days of his administration. "The President of the United States has ordered the Department of Defense and the United States Africa Command to reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021," the Pentagon said in a statement at the time. US troops in Somalia primarily train and advise local Somali forces as they battle al Qaeda's largest affiliate, Al-Shabaab. The US military also carries out airstrikes against Al-Shabaab and the local ISIS affiliate in the country, killing a top Al-Shabaab leader in a targeted strike in September.

Source: CNN December 19, 2020 14:37 UTC