 The Administration had been interested in propping up the Transitional National Government in Mogadishu.To this end, as well as to help cut down on terrorist activities and piracy in the region, the United States had deployed special operations forces, drones, air strikes and some military advisers to influence the ongoing Somali civil war and neutralize prominent Al-Shabaab members.Obama was a strong critic of the government of Zimbabwe led by President Robert Mugabe.