US President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 15, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / AFP) (Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) President Joe Biden on Monday signed an order to deploy U.S.
troops to Somalia amid heightened concerns about the country's Islamic extremist rebels, known as al-Shabab. The move is a reversal of President Donald Trump's decision last year to remove nearly all 700 special operations forces that had been operating there.Biden's decision, confirmed by a senior administration official, comes after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested the deployment "to reestablish a persistent U.S.
military presence in Somalia to enable a more effective fight against al-Shabab, which has increased in strength and poses a heightened threat."The official, who requested anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been formally announced, said American forces already in the region would be repositioned.U.S.
military commanders have been deploying U.S. forces into Somalia for short rotations since Trump ordered American troops out during his final days in office in 2021.