Trump orders U.S. troops to withdraw from Somalia

President Trump has ordered the withdrawal of almost all U.S. troops from Somalia by early 2021.

A Pentagon statement announced, Friday, the withdrawal of most military personnel from the East African nation.

"The President of the United States has ordered the Department of Defense and the United States Africa Command to reposition the majority of personnel and assets out of Somalia by early 2021," the Pentagon said.

The action would relocate some 700 U.S. troops in the region, CNN reports. The Pentagon says this "this action is not a change in US policy."

The U.S. will maintain enough of a local presence to continue to combat terrorism in the region, according to the statement.

"The US will retain the capability to conduct targeted counterterrorism operations in Somalia and collect early warnings and indicators regarding threats to the homeland," the statement says.

A separate statement from United States Africa Command emphasized that the move was not an end to the U.S.'s efforts in Somalia but merely a repositioning of military resources.

"This action is not a withdrawal and end to our efforts but a reposition to continue our efforts in East Africa," the statement read.

The announcement of the move from Somalia comes following the President's November 17 statement that he would remove thousands of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by January.