Donald Trump ordered the withdrawal of American troops from Somalia.
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Reuters reported the majority of American forces will leave Somalia by January 15 and only a small group of American troops will remain in Mogadishu.
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Trump had previously criticized US military interventions because of their high cost and ineffectiveness.
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The Pentagon also announced that an unspecified number of U.S. troops in Somalia would be transferred to neighboring countries such as Kenya and Djibouti and will be allowed to conduct cross-border operations.
Only one group will remain in Somalia to carry out smaller counter-terrorism missions against al-Shabaab and Islamic State militants.
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Al-Shabaab terrorist group is a Sunni religious group that has been fighting for power in Somalia for many years and dominates parts of the center and south of this country.
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Somali officials have criticized Trump's decision.
Ayoub Ismail, one of Somalia's senators, said that this decision is really regrettable because the presence of American forces was crucial to the training of soldiers in this country.
Colonel Ahmad Abdullahi Sheikh, one of the former commanders of Somalia, has warned that the withdrawal of American forces will have a profound effect on the efforts to deal with the Islamist militias of al-Shabaab and the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in this region.
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Stephen Schwartz, the former US ambassador to Somalia, also condemned the decision of the White House as a "cakewalk operational opportunity for al-Shabaab".
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Mark Esper, the former Secretary of Defense of the United States, wanted to maintain the position and presence of American forces in Somalia.
He was fired by Trump last month.
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One of the American officials said that the presence of this country's forces in Somalia is the reason for the conflict between Trump and Mark Esper, the former Secretary of Defense of the United States, whom Trump fired last month.
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Unlike the former head of the Pentagon, Trump’s decision is supported by Chris Miller, acting secretary of defense.
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America had about 700 soldiers in Somalia and these forces were fighting al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab movement in this country for about 13 years.
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According to some analysts, there are two goals behind this action of the United States:
First, to prevent further Chinese influence in Djibouti.
In 2017, Beijing established a base in Djibouti, which became the country's first overseas military base.
Second, focusing on military movements in Yemen, centered on Bab el-Mandeb.
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Warning: these questons and answers are not all representative of the way questions will be asked and answered in the pilot, because some questions are compound and some answers do not include citations.

Q: Who ordered the withdrawal of American troops from Somalia?
A: Donald Trump. [abb60e7c-107f-4749-a57d-965bbb098034, 5382bc89-6c59-40d2-b2e6-0688e970452e]

Q: Where were the soldiers supposed to be transferred?
A: Neighboring countries of Somalia like Kenya and Djibouti. [b7ccb0eb-46ab-4612-9efa-249bec813baa, df79ea27-7b27-4414-84e6-584c8e4d705f]

Q: Why did a group of soldiers were kept in Somalia?
A: In order to carry out smaller counter-terrorism missions against al-Shabaab and Islamic State militants. [b7ccb0eb-46ab-4612-9efa-249bec813baa, df79ea27-7b27-4414-84e6-584c8e4d705f]

Q: Did al-Shabaab dominate any territory in Somalia at the time?
A: They dominated parts of the center and south of this country. [c81eaa2a-a7e8-4581-8048-8b7188e5c8c9]

Q: Who is al-Shabaab?
A: Al-Shabaab is a Sunni terrorist group that has been fighting for power in Somalia for many years. [c81eaa2a-a7e8-4581-8048-8b7188e5c8c9]

Q: Why Ayoub Ismail, a Somalian senator, criticized this decision of Donald Trump?
A: Because he believed the presence of American forces was crucial to the training of soldiers in Somalia. [abb60e7c-107f-4749-a57d-965bbb098034]

Q: Why did one of the former commanders of Somalia warned about withdrawal of US soldiers from Somalia?
A: Because he felt that the withdrawal of American forces will have a profound effect on the efforts to deal with the Islamist militias of al-Shabaab and ISIS in the region. [abb60e7c-107f-4749-a57d-965bbb098034]

Q: What was the reason that Stephen Schwartz, the former US ambassador to Somalia, also condemned the decision of the White House?
A: Because he said it could be “cakewalk operational opportunity for al-Shabaab”. [867c55c6-6e51-4249-b181-32616fc0aaf2]

Q: What happened to Mark Esper, the former Secretary of Defense of the United States, who wanted to maintain the position and presence of American forces in Somalia?
A: He was fired by Donald Trump. [b7ccb0eb-46ab-4612-9efa-249bec813baa]

Q: What was the position of Chris Miller, the acting secretary of defense of the time?
A: He supported Trump’s decision. [df79ea27-7b27-4414-84e6-584c8e4d705f]

Q: How many years were American soldiers in Somalia?
A: About 13 years. [b711f255-2c52-4935-85de-2db4e1001a7b, c717c28f-65d0-4134-9f54-41b9f27f9ec4, df79ea27-7b27-4414-84e6-584c8e4d705f]

Q: Which terrorist groups did American soldiers fight with in Somalia?
A: Al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab. [b711f255-2c52-4935-85de-2db4e1001a7b, c717c28f-65d0-4134-9f54-41b9f27f9ec4, df79ea27-7b27-4414-84e6-584c8e4d705f]

Q: According to some analysts, what was behind this decision of US president?
A: To prevent further Chinese influence in Djibouti by moving US soldiers to Djibouti. [c9c73af3-921d-458e-84d5-c07387c0be65]

Q: According to some analysts, what was behind this decision of US president?
A: Focusing on military movements in Yemen, centered on Bab al-Mandeb. [c9c73af3-921d-458e-84d5-c07387c0be65]

Q: What was the reason behind Trump’s decision to withdraw military forces from Somalia?
A: High cost and ineffectiveness of military interventions. [abb60e7c-107f-4749-a57d-965bbb098034]