U.S. Kept Silent About Its Role in Another Firefight in Niger
Source: The New York Times
By CHARLIE SAVAGE, ERIC SCHMITT and THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFFMARCH 14, 2018
WASHINGTON — Green Berets working with government forces in Niger killed 11 Islamic State militants in a firefight in December, the American military acknowledged for the first time on Wednesday. The battle occurred two months after four United States soldiers died in an ambush in another part of Niger — and after senior commanders had imposed stricter limits on military missions in the West African country.
No American or Nigerien forces were harmed in the December gun battle. But the combat — along with at least 10 other previously unreported attacks on American troops in West Africa between 2015 and 2017 — indicates that the deadly Oct. 4 ambush was not an isolated episode in a nation where the United States is building a major drone base.
After the ambush, senior officers at United States Africa Command, which oversees American military operations on the continent, imposed additional measures to enhance the safety of troops on missions that were designed to train and advise local forces in Niger.
But the missions did not end.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/world/africa/niger-green-berets-isis-firefight-december.html
