U.S. troops pulling out of Somalia aren’t leaving the continent, or even the region, the general who leads U.S. Africa Command said in a statement this weekend.
Marine Col. Stephen F. Keane said he must recuse himself because of his past work for the government and personal connections to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“This individual was a key leader in the al-Shabaab organization," Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, the AFRICOM commander said in a news release. “He was violent, ruthless, and responsible for the loss of many innocent lives. His removal makes Somalia and neighboring countries safer.”
A federal judge has ordered that an independent medical panel conduct a review of the mental health of a Saudi prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center who has been accused of trying to enter the U.S. to be the 20th hijacker in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.