Supporting Somalia's Revival

 The Wilson Quarterly published in its Fall 2023 edition a commentary titled "Supporting Somalia's Revival" by Larry E. Andre, US ambassador to Somalia 2022-2023.

The former US ambassador to Somalia makes a plea for the United States to continue its multi-pronged support of Somalia's efforts to achieve peace and prosperity.  

Fate of Islamic State Branch Operation in Puntland, Somalia

 The Royal United Services Institute published on 20 March 2023 an article titled "Out of Africa: Financial Networks of  Islamic State 2.0" by Edmund Fitton-Brown.  

An Islamic State (IS) branch office located in Puntland, Somalia and headed by Bilal al-Sudani coordinated IS affiliates in Mozambique and the DRC and supplied funding to IS in Afghanistan.  In January 2023, US Special Forces killed al-Sudani and nine associates.  It remains to be seen if the operation in Puntland will regenerate.  

Islamic State Militant Killed in Somalia Had Links Across Africa

 The Washington Post published on 3 February 2023 an article titled "Killing of Top ISIS Militant Casts Spotlight on Group's Broad Reach in Africa" by Katharine Houreld.  

U.S. Special Forces killed Bilal al-Sudani, a Sudanese militant, during a raid in the Puntland region of Somalia on 25 January.  Sudani was the most senior Islamic State commander in the country.  The Islamic State unit in Puntland operated as a bridge between Central Africa, Mozambique, and the Middle East and was a source of financing for ISIS activity.

US Special Forces Take Out Islamic State Leader in Somalia

 The New York Times published on 26 January 2023 an article titled "Senior ISIS Leader in Somalia Killed in U.S. Special Operations Raid" by Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper.

U.S. Special Operations commandos killed a senior Islamic State leader, Bilal al-Sudani, in northern Somalia's Puntland State.  Al-Sudani was responsible for fostering the Islamic State presence in Africa and funding the group's global operations.  The Islamic State works at cross purposes in Somalia with the better known and al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab.  

US Military Assistance Nearby if Situation Worsens in Ethiopia

 CNN posted on 22 November a story titled "US Has Positioned Special Ops Near Ethiopia for Potential US Embassy Assistance" by Jennifer Hansler, Katie Bo Lillis, Jim Sciutto, Barbara Starr, and Natasha Bertrand.

Some Army Rangers have been assigned to the American military base in Djibouti in the event the situation worsens in Ethiopia and it is necessary to assist in the evacuation of Americans.  Three American naval vessels in the Middle East have also been put on standby to provide support for a potential evacuation.  

Trump Administration to Rely on Special Operations Forces in Africa

The New York Times published on 19 March 2017 an article titled "Using Special Forces Against Terrorism, Trump Seeks to Avoid Big Ground Wars" by Eric Schmitt.

In Africa, about one-third of the nearly 6,000 American troops are Special Operations forces. So far, the Trump administration is following the Bush and Obama administrations by relying primarily on U.S. Special Operations forces to counter terrorist threats but giving the Pentagon more latitude.

Al-Shabaab in the Aftermath of the Attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall

The web site eInternationalRelations asked me to write a brief analysis of the situation in East Africa following the al-Shabaab attack on Westgate Mall in Kenya.  It appeared on 10 October 2013 under the title "Al-Shabaab in the Aftermath of the Attack on Nairobi's Westgate Mall."