Ahmad 
The African Union peacekeeping force on Friday completed the second phase of the withdrawal from Somalia, as it faced an escalating threat posed by the extremist group al-Shabaab.
The move comes after a four-month delay, when the Mogadishu government submitted a request to delay the withdrawal of troops due to heavy losses incurred against al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.
The peacekeeping force confirmed in a statement that the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) succeeded in completing the second phase of the withdrawal, as the number of troops was reduced by 3,000 troops. Seven forward operating bases were handed over to the internationally backed government, and two others were closed.
General Sam O’Quedding announced the start of preparations for the next phase, phase three, where the number of troops will be reduced by 4,000 in June.
A total of 5,000 troops have been withdrawn in phases I and II, while 14,600 from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda remain in Somalia to support stabilization and counterinsurgency efforts.
It is worth noting that ATMIS will withdraw completely from Somalia by the end of the year and will hand over responsibility to Somali security forces after the Security Council agreed in April 2022 to replace AMISOM with Atmeis, and the latter has made enhanced efforts in the fight against al-Shabaab.