Pentagon foresees at least two more years in Somalia

Leaders outline combat operations against militants.

WASHINGTON — Amid its esca- lating strikes campaign in Somalia, of the drone Pentagon has presented the White House with an oper- ational plan that envisions at least two more years of combat against Islamist mili- tants there, according to U.S. officials familiar with inter- nal deliberations.

The proposed plan for Somalia would be the first under new rules quietly signed by President Donald Trump in October for counterterrorism operations outside conventional war zones. The U.S. military has carried out about 30 airstrikes in Somalia this year, twice as many as in 2016. Nearly all

have ing killed a come over Nov. 100 since 21 bombing suspected June, includ- that militants at an al-Shabab training camp.

In a sign that the Defense Department does not envi- sion a quick end to the deepening war in Somalia against al-Shabab and the Islamic State, the proposed plan is said to include an exemption to a rule in Trump’s guide- lines requiring annual vetting by staff from other agen- cies — including diplomats and intelligence officials — of operational plans for cer- tain countries. Instead, the Pentagon wants to wait 24 months before reviewing how the Somalia plan is working, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensi- tive matters. Moreover, they said, the Defense Department wants to conduct that review internally, without involvement from other agencies — a request that would further a Trump-era pattern of giving the Pentagon greater latitude and autonomy.

Luke Hartig, a senior director for counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council during the Obama administration, said he supported delegating some greater authority to the Pentagon over such matters, but found it “problematic” that the military wanted to be unleashed for so long without broader oversight.

According to the officials familiar with it, the Pentagon plan would exempt operations in Somalia from another default rule in Trump’s guidelines: that airstrikes be allowed only when officials have determined there is a near certainty that no civilians will be killed. Instead, the officials said, the plan calls for imposing a lower standard: reasonable certainty that no bystanders will die.