WASHINGTON, D.C. — The top U.S. military commander in the Africa region has asked the Trump White House for more authority to go after al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Somalia, he said recently.
The authority would allow him to make more decisions on targeting the terrorist group, rather than having to seek approval from the Pentagon, which can slow down the process of striking the terrorist group, Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander Marine Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser said at a Pentagon briefing on Friday.
“If they’re approved and I don’t know what the final product will be, I would say the process might be a little bit streamlined and the authorities are powered down to the [combatant commands] as opposed to coming back up here. I mean, that’s the big significant thing,” he said.
Defense Secretary James Mattis approved Waldhauser’s request and forwarded it to the White House in February, according to an article by the Associated Press.
Officials told the AP the authorities would allow U.S. Africa Command to launch preemptive airstrikes against al-Shabaab terrorists instead of waiting until they attacked Somali and other friendly forces before striking.
They would also allow U.S. special operations forces greater ability to accompany local forces on military operations against al-Shabaab, according to the officials.