During a briefing on Monday, press secretary Jen Psaki inaccurately stated that the U.S. has no military presence in Somalia and Yemen when asked if Western interests are at stake because the Taliban have access to weapons obtained from the military. defeated Afghans.
In his response, Psaki noted the U.S. economic leverage over Afghanistan, as well as the continued ability of the U.S. military to attack targets in the country, as it did on Friday, via a unmanned aerial vehicle attack on ISIS-K in Afghanistan.
“There are other parts of the world (Somalia, Libya, Yemen) where we have no presence on the ground,” Psaki continued, “and we still prevent terrorist attacks or threats to U.S. citizens living in or around the United States. grow “.
Facts first: When it comes to Yemen and Somalia, this statement is not entirely accurate. The White House said in June that the U.S. had military personnel in Yemen and, according to the Department of Defense, as of June the U.S. had a small presence in Somalia.
In a June 8 letter, updating Congress on “U.S. Armed Forces deployments,” President Joe Biden wrote, “A small number of U.S. military personnel are deployed in Yemen to conduct operations. against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS. “
According to the Department of Defense, as of June 30, there were 52 active members of the U.S. military deployed in Somalia – 47 of whom were Marines. This figure represents a significant decrease from the approximately 700 troops serving in the country before former President Donald Trump’s order in December to withdraw most of the country’s troops “in early 2021”.
In his letter to Congress, Biden wrote that while “most U.S. forces in Somalia were redistributed or repositioned in neighboring countries prior to my inauguration as president,” the U.S. Armed Forces with outside of Somalia continue to counter the terrorist threat posed by ISIS and al-Shabaab, a force associated with al-Qaeda in Somalia. “
U.S. military leaders in the region told the Military Times in April that senior officials were still “traveling” to Somalia from Europe and East African countries for inspections and meetings. According to the Military Times, the United States also “sent special operations forces to train, advise and assist local troops” in the country.
On June 15, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon was studying a proposal to send dozens of U.S. “Special Forces trainers” to Somalia “to help local forces fight Al Shabab, the terrorist group affiliated with Al Qaeda.” “.