President Joe Biden has revived a counterterrorism operation in Somalia that will mean the reassignment of hundreds of US ground forces to the war-torn country.

       The move was first reported by The New York Times on Monday, citing numerous administration officials, who noted that the president had also approved a request from the US Department of Defense to authorise the targeting of roughly a dozen leaders of the al Qaeda-affiliated Al Shabab terrorist group.

       Former President Donald Trump had withdrawn US forces from that region of Africa and other conflict zones around the world in the waning days of his presidency in a move that both reflected his desire to draw down the US military footprint around the world and presented a challenge for the incoming Biden administration as the withdrawal was ordered just a month before Mr Biden took office. It completed on 17 Jan 2021, three days before Mr Biden was sworn in.

       An official who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity explained that the US effort would focus on targeting a small group of leaders with a history of plotting attacks outside of Somalia’s borders. Al Shabab, unlike the Islamic State or even Al Qaeda, rarely inspires attacks on foreign soil.

       They added that those targeted presented an immediate threat to “us, and our interests and our allies”.

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