GAROWE (Kaab TV) – The United States Government is reportedly considering closing the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu, according to a New York Times report citing American officials.
The move comes amid recent territorial advances by Al Shabab militants, which have intensified internal debate within the administration over whether to scale back or ramp up U.S. engagement in Somalia.
Al Shabab, an Al Qaeda affiliate, is also believed to be developing ties with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, raising further concerns about regional instability and transnational threats.
Some officials at the U.S. State Department, cited by the Times, have advocated for a full withdrawal of embassy personnel as a precaution, fearing a potential Benghazi-style attack.
Others within the National Security Council oppose the move, warning that it could lead to the collapse of Somalia’s already fragile federal government.
They instead call for increased U.S. involvement, including greater military and intelligence support.
In early March, the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu issued a security alert warning of an imminent Al Shabab attack, urging vigilance among U.S. citizens and personnel.
Embassy staff reportedly relocated to Nairobi, Kenya, shortly after the warning.
On March 18, Al Shabab carried out a large-scale bombing in Mogadishu, killing at least 20 people, including prominent Somali journalist Mohamed Abukar Dabaashe.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud narrowly escaped the attack, which marked one of the deadliest in recent months.
Despite the security risks, the State Department maintains that the Mogadishu embassy remains “fully operational” and that threat assessments are ongoing.
However, with Al Shabab regaining control of key rural territories and inching closer to the capital, fears of a forced evacuation persist—though analysts note that heavy rains have temporarily halted the group’s advances.
The Trump administration’s internal rift reflects broader anxieties fueled by the 2012 Libya’s Benghazi attack and the 2021 fall of Afghanistan’s Kabul to Taliban, with critics accusing the White House of lacking a coherent strategy for Somalia.
Counterterrorism adviser Sebastian Gorka, a hardliner, reportedly chaired a recent interagency meeting where the issue was discussed but no clear decision was reached.
Gorka is pushing for intensified drone strikes and air raids, warning that any drawdown would hand Somalia over to extremists.
Somalia’s security forces are said to be in disarray, with some units deserting to their clans and others being killed in clashes with Al Shabab.
The U.S. has spent years training Somalia’s elite Danab commandos and supporting them with air power, but those efforts have largely stalled.
President Mohamud has been accused of alienating key political allies, further weakening the government’s hold.
One controversial proposal being discussed is relocating U.S. operations to a Soviet-era airbase in Somaliland, the self-declared independent region in northern Somalia.
Although President Mohamud reportedly offered the base to the U.S., the Somali government does not control the area.
Al Shabab remains a potent force in the region. Since pledging allegiance to Al Qaeda in 2012, the group has launched deadly attacks beyond Somalia’s borders, including the 2013 Westgate Mall massacre in Nairobi and the 2020 assault on the Manda Bay U.S. military base in Kenya.
U.S. Africa Command is also monitoring possible cooperation between Al Shabab and the Houthis, as regional instability continues to grow.