US General Wants to Hike Intervention in Somalia

by | Mar 26, 2017

US General Wants to Hike Intervention in Somalia

by | Mar 26, 2017

Seeks Trump Approval for Airstrikes Against al-Shabaab

US African Commander Gen. Thomas Waldhauser today confirmed that he is still seeking increased authority to carry out attacks in Somalia, seeking President Trump’s permission for more “flexibility” in carrying out airstrikes and using ground troops in the country.

It was reported last month that the Pentagon was looking to expand involvement in Somalia, though Waldhauser today confirmed that the White House has not granted them the permission that they were seeking, leaving unclear what the holdup is, as the Trump Administration is sending more and more forces across Africa.

According to Waldhauser, the changes would not just open up an increase in operations in Somalia, but also allow the pentagon to provide increased direct aid to the Somali National Army, including potentially putting embedded troops in with them in areas close to combat forces.

At the same time, Waldhauser downplayed exactly how much the US would expand its Somalia involvement, insisting that he has no intention of turning the country into a “free fire zone.” Still, it appears direct US involvement is going to be substantially more than it has been.

Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is the News Editor for Antiwar.com, your best source for antiwar news, viewpoints and activities. He has 10 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times and the Detroit Free Press.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

libetarian institute longsleeve shirt

Our Books

cb0cb1ef 3fcb 417d 80d8 4eef7bbd8290

Recent Articles

Recent

Libertarian Lessons From Middle-earth

Libertarian Lessons From Middle-earth

Professor J.R.R Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, has been described as an anarcho-monarchist, and he  incorporated those political ideals into Middle-earth. Among them was his stance against coercion. "The story is cast in terms of a good side,...

read more
Eisenhower’s Most Important Lesson

Eisenhower’s Most Important Lesson

At this point, Dwight D. Eisenhower’s farewell address needs no introduction. The thirty-sixth president’s warning about the “acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex” has been cited so often that its...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This