United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has set up a joint task force to find ways of repositioning forces withdrawn from Somalia.
In November 2020, President Donald Trump vowed to withdraw all US military from Somalia by early 2021.
His security advisors have already put measures in place to make that a reality.
On December 19, General Stephen Townsend, AFRICOM’s Commander, issued a press statement ordering the formation of the Joint Task Force-Quartz (JFT-Q).
The task force has the responsibility of overseeing Operation Octave Quartz, a mission designed to reposition troops withdrawn from Somalia.
While ordering the formation of JFT-Q, Gen. Townsend reiterated the fact that United States has no plans to pull its forces out of East Africa.
He mentioned that those pulled out of Somalia would be repositioned to other AFRICOM bases in East Africa.
