Somali leader and US defence secretary discuss al-Shabab war
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Thursday met US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin shortly after arriving in Washington DC for talks on, among other things, the fight against extremist group al-Shabab in the Horn of Africa nation.
Mr Mohamud tweeted that he met Mr Austin at the Pentagon to discuss “our two sides” partnership and commitment to securing our future from international terrorism”.
The US “is a valuable partner in Somalia’s national security”, he said.
The US defence secretary said he had “a productive meeting” with Mr Mohamud and reiterated Washington’s “commitment to work closely with our partners to achieve shared defence and security goals”.
The meeting comes four months after President Joe Biden authorised the redeployment of US troops to Somalia to counter al-Shabab, reversing his predecessor Donald Trump’s move to withdraw all American forces from the Horn of Africa nation last year.
It also comes as Somali forces and their allies intensify military operations against al-Shabab in southern and central Somalia in a bid to seize territory held by the al-Qaeda affiliate.
