Speaking for MY officer son who recently returned from Somalia, they are not there to stop ISIS or Al Shabab (however it’s spelled.). They are there to check the Chinese.
The Whole continent is a mess.
Was your son in Somalia or Djibouti? There is a pretty large but rarely mentioned US military presence in the latter place. I wasn’t aware of any US uniformed personnel in Somalia. CIA yes.
I hear everyone in the military now prattling on about stopping the Chinese in Africa. Lots of friends keep trotting out that company line.
ISIS rampant in Mali, Chad, and Niger. FBI is aware. No U.S. forces there yet.