The United States President Donald Trump has questioned the frequent and continued military operations by the American defence forces in Kenya and neighbouring Somalia.
Addressing America's top military brass on Tuesday, September 30, Trump said that after decades of protecting foreign nations, it was time for the US defence forces to focus on dealing with unspecified enemies from within America.
Trump stressed that America was under invasion from within, a situation he claimed had been long ignored by previous regimes, including his predecessor, Joe Biden.
"Only in recent decades did politicians somehow come to believe that our job is to police the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia while America is under invasion from within," Trump said.
"We are under invasion from within, no different from a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they do not wear uniforms. At least when they wear uniforms, you can take them away," he added.
To deal with the 'enemies from within', the US President revealed that he would be sending military officials to some of the cities in the US, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago.
It is not yet clear whether Trump's latest comments will influence the US military's participation in the counterterrorism operations along the Kenyan border with Somalia.
In recent months, the US military has conducted several operations along the Kenyan border with Somalia in a move aimed at eliminating the Al Shabaab militia.
These operations mostly involved airstrikes and joint ground operations through the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which has been pivotal in reducing terrorism in the Horn of Africa.
Additionally, Kenya has a long-standing military cooperation with the US. Just a year ago, former President Joe Biden's administration designated Kenya as a non-NATO ally.
The designation, which was approved in May last year during President William Ruto's State Visit to the US, handed Kenya a significant boost in military and economic benefits.
However, 14 months later, President Trump's administration initiated a review of Kenya's non-NATO status. This is after Congressman James Risch proposed amendments to America's National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2026.
The proposal sought to review Kenya's non-NATO status within 90 days, specifically assessing Kenya's foreign and diplomatic relations and whether it aligns with those of the US.
