Yes I know I have been a critic of Trump since he took office….but I have also stated that I approve of his attempts to end our endless wars……and now he has made another statement that I can support….( I shall qualify that shortly)…..
He is attempting to bring home the troops from Afghanistan and Iraq….and moving some out of Germany…..
Pres. Trump wants to bring our troops home from Somalia…..Somalia? Think Blackhawk Down…..
Bloomberg published a story on Wednesday that cited anonymous sources who said President Trump is looking to withdraw hundreds of US troops from Somalia, a war the administration has significantly escalated since 2017.
The sources said the Pentagon has begun drafting plans for the president, and discussions have involved Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley.
According to the Congressional Research Service, the US currently has 700 troops in Somalia. Mostly special forces who train Somalia’s army. Most of these troops were sent to the African country by President Trump, according to the Bloomberg story.
The US is engaged in Somalia as part of its war against the militant group al-Shabab. In 2017, President Trump loosened the rules of engagement for the drone war and his administration has dropped a record number of bombs on Somalia.
In 2019, the US conducted 63 airstrikes in Somalia, the most in a single year. The first seven months of 2020 saw more US airstrikes in Somalia than were conducted during both the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, combined.
The war in Somalia is extremely underreported, and it is tough to know how damaging it has been to the civilians on the ground. US Africa Command usually claims its airstrikes only kill militants and only occasionally have to admit to civilian deaths if there is enough outcry.
(antiwar.com)
Now is this just election posturing or is he serious?
He has made promises before an election that he has not carried forward once he was placed in the seat of power for the United States.
So I ask again….can we trust him to do what he says?
Learn Stuff!
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
I doubt that the MIC will let him do this. Too many big money interests to protect.
Best wishes, Pete.
Will be interesting to watch….but I think it is more election posturing not a fact. chuq
Any “withdrawal” would likely merely be a repositioning to Kenya, Djibouti (where we have plenty of boots on ground) or Uganda (where we’ve been recently). IOW, probably a shell game.
Yes that is why I am skeptical,……chuq
anybody who insists they’ll get the troops home quick generally gets a small boost in their poll scores. I think he knows that it won’t happen, but it’s campaigning and he wants to make the gesture.
I can’t stand the man, but I’ll give props that he’s asking the questions. He’s asked them a lot (according to the books I’ve been reading about the administration) over the years, like “why do we have troops in x, y, z? Why are we paying for it?” Granted, he’s thinking about cost cutting rather than sending the troops home to their families and cutting off aid and supplies to allies… but at least he was asking the questions. I think it was the only time he was asking instead of just directing/projecting that I can recall in what I’ve found so far.
I have said that I do agree with Trump on some issues….issues in general but not necessarily the tactic. chuq
Here in Bavaria they are crying about loosing US troops to Poland, There is a lot of money in the game, the Bavarian States Government now has to pay by itself. Michael
IT is always bout the cash….chuq
Yes, and our goverment now has to give the money back to the citizens.Before they realized things like in ancient France.
The US could still keep their bases if they would just end a couple of its endless wars. chuq
For sure, Chuq! Otherwise its not to bad, leaving Bavaria.They should pay themselves for their citizens. We do not need any neofeudalistic inventions.
They will get creative to replace lost cash I am sure….chuq
Exactly, Michael! It’s “Yankee Go Home” till the reality that Americans drop money like autumn trees, and it’s even worth learning English to get in on all that loot!