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United States Africa Command
News by Section AFRICOM commander conducts engagements in Somalia U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, completed a multi-day engagement in Somalia and a visit to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, operating off the coast of Somalia, Jan. 16-18. By View Gallery
AFRICOM leadership visits USS Makin Island
U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, inspects an F-35B Lightning II, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 164, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island during a tour of the ship. The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit have operated off the coast of Somalia since Dec. 21 as part of the Joint Forces Maritime Component Command for Joint Task Force – Quartz.
U.S. troops numbering 700 have pulled out of Somalia.p after a 13 year low level engagement mainly consisting of air strikes. Trump announced the withdrawal in late 2020
U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, completed a multi-day engagement in Somalia and a visit to the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), operating off the coast of Somalia, Jan. 16-18.
While in Somalia, Townsend met with U.S. Ambassador to Somalia Don Yamamoto and key military leaders from the Somali Armed Forces, including Minister of Defense, Hassan Hussein Haji, and Somali Chief of Defense Forces Brigadier Gen. Odawa Yusuf Raage, to discuss continued security cooperation between the U.S. and Somali partners as well as joint efforts to counter the al Qaeda aligned terrorist group al-Shabaab.