Uganda begins withdrawing troops from Somalia after two decades

Uganda announced on Monday that it had begun pulling its troops out of Somalia, where it has been a key player in efforts to counter insurgents for almost two decades. "The first cohort of troops under the phased withdrawal operation have already arrived back in Uganda," a statement from the Ugandan military said. Uganda was the first country to send troops to Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping force set up in 2007 to support the Somali government battling Al-Shabab Islamist militants.