CIA officer killed in Somalia after US announcement of possible withdrawal

According to a former senior US presidential administration official, a CIA officer was killed in Somalia. He was injured during a special operation and later died. Writes about it CNN.

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The identity of the officer was not disclosed, but the source said that before working in intelligence, he served in the main tactical unit of the Special Operations Forces of the United States Navy.

As the newspaper notes, the officer was killed shortly after the Trump administration announced plans to withdraw more than 600 troops from Somalia in the near future.

US Special Operations Forces have been integrated into the Somali National Army to help combat the Al-Shabaab militant group. In addition to advising on airstrikes and ground attacks, the primary mission of the US Navy's Special Operations Forces team is to train and build its own elite light infantry force in Somalia.

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Traditionally, after the death of an officer, a star will be installed in his honor on the CIA Memorial Wall in the atrium of the CIA headquarters. The memorial was created to pay tribute to the men and women who died in the line of duty at the agency. In September, CIA officials reported on Twitter that there were 135 stars on the wall.

While US military advisers in Somalia generally seek to allow Somali forces to take over the lead during operations, there have been instances where US troops have found themselves in combat.

In September, a US soldier was injured in the country when Al-Shabaab attacked US and Somali forces. And in August, the US military launched an airstrike on Al-Shabaab militants in the vicinity of Dar al-Salaam after local US-backed forces came under fire from a building.

The Pentagon Inspector General's report released this year described the conflict in Somalia as a "dead end," with US-backed Somali government forces continuing to fight Al-Shabaab while the insurgent group continues to attack Somali and international forces in the south of the country.

The African Command and the Office of Military Intelligence estimate that Al-Shabaab has between 5000 and 10 fighters.

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While U.S. military advisers have been in Somalia since at least 2013, their efforts have received a major boost under the Trump administration, which volunteered to conduct an advisory mission to Danab in 2017 in addition to expanding drone strikes.

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