US tells Somalia mission staffers to leave over threat

Military Times: MOGADISHU, Somalia — The United States has ordered all non-essential employees of its mission to Somalia to leave the capital, Mogadishu, because of “specific threat information” against them.

The order came a day after the U.S. military carried out its first drone strikes against Islamic State group-allied fighters in Somalia, saying “several terrorists” had been killed in the northern Puntland region.

Somalia remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries. The U.S. hasn’t had an embassy there since 1991 and calls security “extremely unstable.” The U.S. Mission to Somalia has been based in neighboring Kenya, and it is not clear how many employees may be based in Mogadishu.

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