War-Zone/The Drive: The U.S. Military's Incident In Niger Has Been a Long Time Coming
A "light footprint," limited resources, and political complexities put American troops in Africa at increased risk.
The revelation that a private contractor took part in the efforts to rescue American service members who came under attack in Niger, which The War Zone first reported, has prompted renewed scrutiny of the U.S. military’s preparedness in the region and even viral conspiracy theories about the incident. In reality, already underscored by the infamous Benghazi incident, it highlights a long-standing set of issues and it’s a wonder such things haven’t occurred more often.
At the core of the present debate is why American soldiers in Niger had to rely primarily on air support from French forces in the area, as well as contract aircrews stationed in the country’s capital Niamey, after they came under attack from militants near the border with Mali on Oct. 4, 2017. How this all contributed to U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson ending up missing for two days afterwards before local forces found him dead remains unclear. That the combined force of U.S. and Nigerien troops reportedly rode in unarmored vehicles and had only personal weapons when they encountered more than 50 enemy fighters in trucks with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades has only served to add apparent insult to injury, though.
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WNU Editor: This blog has been covering Niger and its militancy problem for a long time ....
Niger Has Become A Key U.S. Counter-Terrorism Partner In Africa (April 24, 2016)
Jihadists Blamed For Military Assault On A Refugee Camp In Niger That Kills 22 Soldiers (October 7, 2016)
The Growing Importance Of Niger In U.S. Anti-Terrorism Operations (April 16, 2013)
Is The Conflict In Mali Now Shifting To Niger? (April 13, 2013)
Niger Is The Latest Country To Join The U.S. War On Terror (March 26, 2013)
Islamist Militants Make Inroads In Niger (August 18, 2012).
So when President Obama deployed U.S. forces to Niger a few years ago to assist in counter-terrorism operations .... did he make a mistake to keep a "small footprint". Upon reflection .... my answer is no. The threat was there but it was low-key, and the U.S. presence was kept at a minimum to respect what governments like Niger wanted. But here is an easy prediction. After what happened 2 weeks ago in Niger, the U.S. military presence and the support that it can get is going to change significantly in the coming weeks .... starting with the positioning of far more lethal assets in the field.
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