Somalia welcomes US decision to redeploy troops

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia's newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Tuesday welcomed the US decision to redeploy troops to the Horn of Africa country.

In a Twitter post, Mohamud’s office said that the president thanked and appreciated his US counterpart Joe Biden for authorizing the deployment of American troops to Somalia.

The US is a reliable partner "in our quest to stability and fight against terrorism," it added.

Somalia has been in a state of insecurity since the emergency of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group that has been fighting against the government and AU peacekeepers in the country.

Former US President Donald Trump pulled around 700 American troops out from the east African country during the final month of his presidency.

On Monday, Biden reauthorized the deployment of US forces to Somalia.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had requested the redeployment "to enable a more effective fight against al-Shabaab, which has increased in strength and proposed poses a heightened threat."

She acknowledged the inherent risk of the deployment, but said it is "manageable."