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The US President administration considers arming the US drones in Niger, NBC News reported. The US has long considered to arm its Reaper drones, but this month’s attack on a Green Beret unit that resulted in the deaths of four US soldiers expedited the issue.
A move to expand US drone strikes to Niger would amount to a significant escalation in American counterterrorism operations, according NBC. Most of Africa has not been part of the US drone war, which has focused on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria.
“It demonstrates that the U.S. is expanding its use of lethal force … in the war on terror,” said Juan Zarate, a former Bush administration counterterrorism adviser and NBC News analyst. “It also demonstrates that the war on terror is migrating.”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces Joseph Dunford did not address the issue of armed drones when he discussed the Niger attack with reporters October 26. He said he had learned new information about the ambush, but declined to share it until it is verified.
Pentagon officials have blamed the attack on what they described as self-radicalized, ISIS-affiliated militants. The US troops had reportedly been embedded with a larger unit of Nigerien troops and were attacked as they left a meeting with local community leaders a few dozen kilometres from the remote town of Tongo Tongo. They have called in the air support about an hour after the firefight begun. French Mirage jets arrived on the scene approximately one hour later.
Some reports claimed US troops were on a mission to kill or capture a high-value target in the area, perhaps even Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, the local faction of fighters that formally pledged allegiance to ISIS.
After the attack, the Pentagon said that the United States has about 1,000 troops in the Chad Basin, about 800 of whom are in Niger. Pentagon officials said the mission in Africa is about training partner nations in counterterrorism.
The obsession is real. They would go 20.000 feet below ground if they heard groups appeared there.
Anyone in his right mind thinking they are supporting them secretly is an idiot. They are wasting so much money that Trump is cutting into Health care and other benefits while jobs decrease everywhere in the US.
I knew the point Trump re-commited to Afghanistan that it was suicide. The Soviet Union went down due to such wars that just continue as time moves on you run out of money.
Now Trump is already doing the same things his cutting alot of other things in order to fund this greatly expensive war. Going into the Woods and Jungles of Niger with 800-US troops assisted by some local para-troops says everything you need to know.. Obsession. They have apparently used around 40-45-Trillion USD while I thought previously 10-trillion but it’s alot higher then I anticipated
Saudi Wahhabi clerics train the local Sunni in Niger to be homicidal religious zealots, then the US send in SF a few years later to train the other locals in counter-terrorism. In the name of humanity, why don’t we cut out the middleman and send the SF directly into Saudi Arabia to ‘train’ the Wahhabi clerics and their wealthy masters to understand that there are consequences their actions? We seem more than willing to torture extremist cannon fodder in overseas black sites. How about giving the al Saud and Wahhabi leaders a tour? Why do they get a free pass in all this?
We all know why this will never happen. Saudi oil and Saudi support for the petro dollar. As long as those factors remain Western leaders will gladly continue to suck Saudi cock and ignore whatever the Saudis are doing. Thus putting their own citizens at risk. The big giant Saudi elephant in the room will continue to get ignored.
Sure they happen to like Saudi long johns, but they always prefer Kosher flavor from Zionist bakery.
You would hope that the Niger government has a say in the matter but I doubt it.
What’s that Naomi? Action, Reaction, Solution? Kill a couple of your own SOF and you’ve got a blank check for armed overflight of another sovereign country.
More killing, I’m glad some of your illegal “not very special” “forces” were killed…. you yanks must be SO proud.