US becoming more involved in Somaila

On the request of U.S. African Command leaders, President Trump has relaxed the combat rules for U.S. troops and operations within Somalia.

The change in the rules will give generals more leeway in deciding when to launch attacks and also remove restrictions that were in place to prevent civilian deaths from U.S. attacks. The rules have changed through Trump signing a directive that now makes large portions of Somalia to be "areas of active hostilities". The designation makes the rules for engagement significantly less restrictive than in other areas and would allow for more civilian deaths. This is occurring at a time when there have been questions raised about the large increase in civilian deaths during the U.S.-led coalition bombings as part of the Mosul offensive in Iraq.

The move is the latest of a number of moves removing restrictions on operations, as the Trump administrations gives commanders in the field more autonomy and places fewer restrictions on their operations. In the past, Trump has been critical of U.S. involvement in wars especially the Middle East: "Trump further added that the amount of time, effort, and money spent in the Middle East over the past 16-17 years has been wasted, saying that “it’s a mess we’ve never seen before.” " Nevertheless, he is upping US involvement in many areas both in the Middle East and probably in Afghanistan where a general has asked for up to 5,000 more troops. The Pentagon has announced that reporters do not need to know the exact numbers of troops sent to Iraq and Syria and they will not be provided from now on. Recent announcements show troops going to several areas: " The piecemeal announcements from the Trump administration of troop deployments include 400 Marines to Syria, 2500 troops to Kuwait, and another 200 troops to Iraq to support operations against the ISIS held city of Mosul."

The new rules for Somalia will help commanders at the U.S. Africa Command in their battle against the al-Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab. General Thomas Waldhauser the top officer of the Command requested Trump to designate the new areas of hostilities and said: “It’s very important and very helpful for us to have little more flexibility, a little bit more timeliness, in terms of decision-making process. It allows us to prosecute targets in a more rapid fashion.The additional support provided by this authority will help deny Al Shabab safe havens from which it could attack U.S. citizens or U.S. interests in the region."

While the rules of engagement have not changed apparently, Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command said that new procedures made it much easier for commanders in the field to call in airstrikes without waiting for permission from more senior officers. Apparently, the Trump administration is also considering whether to scrap the 2013 rules altogether. Luke Hartig , a former senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council in the Obama administration said that the Somali decision was helpful but increased risks: “The downside is you risk potentially greater civilian casualties or potentially killing militants who are not part of our enemy.” Apparently, the relaxation of the targeting limits was first suggested by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. He also suggested doing the same for Yemen where Trump has escalated U.S. involvement.

The New York Times reports that the Somalia review was slowed, according to officials, after criticism of the commando raid in Yemen that resulted in the death of a Navy Seal and the loss of a $75 million aircraft not to mention the death of many civilians. There are 200 to 300 U.S. Special Operations forces working with Somali soldiers and African forces in carrying out a number of raids. The Pentagon acknowledges only a fraction of the number of raids. New America, a Washington Think tanks estimated there were five raids in 2015 and 13 in 2016 that killed about 25 civilians and 200 suspected militants.

US General recommends more aggressive US policy in Libya

Marine Lieutenant General Thomas Waldhauser, who is President Barack Obama's nominee to head the US Africa Command, claimed that the U.S. military plans to counter the Islamic State (IS) in Libya "make no sense."

Waldhauser said the U.S. needs to take a tougher stance in Libya. The general appears a bit behind the times as IS is in dire straits in Libya, holding only part of the city of Sirte as its last territory in Libya. The entire city could fall within a few days. Waldhauser made the comments before the Senate Armed Services Committee last Tuesday. Waldhauser said: “I am not aware of any overall grand strategy at this point.” This is probably true, but the U.S. has been making some air-strikes against IS in the past in Libya and has a few Special Forces working with the mostly Misrata militia who are attacking the IS. There may be a few in Benghazi as well helping the Haftar forces of the Libyan National Army.

Waldhauser said that instability in Africa was to the IS advantage and that the group was shifting focus on the Libyan city of Sirte as a backup as it was failing elsewhere. The general should realize that the IS is failing In Sirte now as well and has lost all the surrounding territory it had previously occupied. He said that "despite a growing Daesh presence in the conflict-ridden country, the US military was not conducting any airstrikes." "Daesh" refers to the Islamic State. He said that targets were being developed but no flights had been flown. He said such attacks would be wise and he would welcome the authority to carry them out without having to receive permission from the White House. Notice there is not a word about seeking permission for the attacks from the UN-brokered Government of National Accord (GNA). He fails to mention that GNA-loyal planes have carried out attacks and that the IS is virtually defeated except as an underground terrorist organization.

In response to Walhauser's remarks, Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesperson, said that "we don't make a decision to carry out a military strike lightly." He said the U.S. had carried out airstrikes in the past and would consider doing so in the future. Last month, Marine General Joseph Dunford of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said the U.S. could deploy troops and equipment to Libya "any day now." Such plans have been put on hold. The GNA has asked only for help with training of its forces. No aid has been forthcoming for the militia, who have successfully encircled the IS in Sirte. The militia do not have basic equipment such as helmets and bullet proof vests that could reduce casualties from snipers. CIA Director John Brennan said that the IS had between 5,000 to 8,000 militants in Libya. This appears to be an estimate that is far too high.

Although suggesting a more aggressive policy Waldhauser said that the small number of troops on the ground in Libya are sufficient for the present. He claimed the troops were performing only advisory roles. He said he was not aware that the US had any "grand strategy" for Libya. If confirmed by the US Senate, Waldhause would replace Army Gen. David Rodriguez who has been head of the Africa Command since 2013.

When Waldhauser was asked by John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman, how he was "going to make a chicken salad" out of the situation in Libya, Waldhauser replied: “We have two significant objectives for the United States: one is to get the government of National Accord up and running, and the second is to disrupt [Islamic State or IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] inside Libya.” The latter aim appears to have been almost accomplished already by Libyans themselves with very little help either from inside or outside Libya.