December 22, 2020

The United States military has deployed a group of navy ships off the coast of Somalia to support the withdrawal of some 700 personnel from the country, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island and accompanying ships arrived off the Horn of Africa on Monday, 16 days after President Donald Trump ordered the pullout of troops who had been in Somalia for years conducting operations against the al-Shabab armed group.

The naval group is to help relocate the US military and civilian personnel from Somalia “to other East Africa operating locations while maintaining pressure on violent extremists and supporting partner forces”, the US Africa Command said in a statement.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/22/us-navy-ships-arrive-in-somalia-for-withdrawal