WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th April, 2023) The US House of Representatives rejected a resolution on Thursday that would have directed President Joe Biden to remove all US troops from Somalia, except those guarding the US embassy.
House lawmakers rejected the concurrent resolution, introduced by Congressman Matt Gaetz, in a vote of 102-321. The measure received bipartisan support, with 50 Democrats voting in favor alongside 52 Republicans.
The resolution would have directed Biden to remove all US armed forces from Somalia not assigned to protect the US embassy within 365 days of its adoption.
Last month, US Africa Command chief Gen. Michael Langley said he is "cautiously optimistic" about Somalia's progress in countering al-Shabab militants (linked to al-Qaeda, banned in Russia).
In February, the US killed seven al-Shabab militants in an airstrike in Somalia, carried out at the request of the country's government.
Last year, Biden reversed an order by predecessor Donald Trump to remove all US military forces from Somalia, sending several hundred US personnel to the country as a persistent presence.
"The future of Somalia must be determined by its people, not the United States," Gaetz said in a statement on the bill.
The US should not be engaged in "nation-building" in Somalia, the middle East or elsewhere, Gaetz added.
