There have been reports since earlier this month that such aid has already been in place on a very limited scale, but the Pentagon is said to be mulling the deployment of more spy drones and other military support to Somalia in an effort to prop up the floundering government.
After five years of struggle, the self-proclaimed government has gained considerable international support but control over only a trivial portion of the country. They are said to be planning an “offensive” to seize the capital city of Mogadishu, but look to be relying mostly on African Union troops and American aid to pull the operation off.
And while the Pentagon seems to have no problem throwing US military might behind the government, such as it is, on the flimsy claims that the assorted militants are “al-Qaeda linked,” the State Department is said to be holding meetings in Kenya with Somali officials in an attempt to figure out what the government intends to do if it ever actually does get control over the capital.
The last time the Somali government had any significant sphere of influence was during the US-backed Ethiopia occupation. Its self-appointed officials did little with this control however, and quickly lost almost all territory when Ethiopia withdrew.
And US officials are said to be worried, after their disastrous “peacekeeping” operation in 1993, that their involvement could give the appearance of a new American occupation. It seems unlikely however that this concern will trump the administration’s desire to “do something” in Somalia, regardless of how ill-advised it may be.
on the flimsy claims that the assorted militants are “al-Qaeda linked,”
It isn't just a claim that al-Shabaab is al-Qaeda linked, they have themselves announced it.