Tongo Tongo – Page 2 – Sahel-Elite (Bamako-Mali)

Que protègent les forces militaires étrangères au Sahel? #Mali #Niger

2018/05/01 – L’empreinte militaire extérieure, notamment celle des États-Unis et de la France, s’accroît en Afrique de l’Ouest et particulièrement au Sahel. Pourtant, face à des opinions publiques de plus en plus hostiles à cette présence jugée envahissante, ces interventions risquent de s’avérer inefficaces ou, pire, contre-productives. Continuer à lire … « Que protègent les forces militaires étrangères au Sahel? #Mali #Niger »

Niger may have arrested militant with ties to ambush that killed 4 US soldiers

2018/04/18 – Niger’s military has detained a suspect who it believes could be the militant leader who was being pursued when an ambush left four American soldiers dead in October, the American ambassador said Tuesday. Continuer à lire … « Niger may have arrested militant with ties to ambush that killed 4 US soldiers »

Niger – Special Forces Opacity: Dangers for the U.K.

2018/03/29 – When news first emerged that four American special operators and five Nigeriens had been killed in a deadly ambush on the 4th of October 2017, it catapulted the hitherto, little-known United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM) presence in Niger into the limelight. Almost immediately, Senators were poring back over the documents they had been briefed on concerning United States (U.S.) combat operations in the region. Many of them admitted they had not been aware of the scale or nature of the US presence in Niger. Some commentators suggested they should have been paying more attention. Lora Lumpe and Jacob Marx of the Open Society Foundation stated, “Either the Pentagon has not been informing Congress, or it is sending updates…but nobody is reading them.” Continuer à lire … « Niger – Special Forces Opacity: Dangers for the U.K. »

Niger – U.S. Kept Silent About Its Role in Another Firefight in Niger

2018/03/15 – 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. Continuer à lire … « Niger – U.S. Kept Silent About Its Role in Another Firefight in Niger »

Niger/Mali – Tuareg rebels claim recovery of US vehicle from Niger ambush

2018/03/14 – A Tuareg rebel leader says members of his group have recovered an American vehicle that was stolen in the ambush in Niger that killed four American forces.Fahad Ag Al Mahmoud, secretary-general of the rebel group known by its French acronym GATIA, said Tuesday that his group found the vehicle from the October attack in Tongo Tongo. Continuer à lire … « Niger/Mali – Tuareg rebels claim recovery of US vehicle from Niger ambush »

Pentagon Says Everyone Who Watches or Mentions a Disturbing Video Is Helping ISIS #Niger

2018/03/13 – The Pentagon is refusing to confirm whether a disturbing video released by the Islamic State actually shows the Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four soldiers, and a DoD spokesman warned reporters that they would be helping ISIS if they even reported on its very existence. A quick sampling of media that have reported on it: The New York Times, Fox News, and the BBC. Continuer à lire … « Pentagon Says Everyone Who Watches or Mentions a Disturbing Video Is Helping ISIS #Niger »

Islamic State video of Niger attack highlights vulnerability of U.S. troops

2018/03/06 – A propaganda video released by the Islamic State group that apparently shows the deadly ambush of U.S. troops in Niger raised fresh questions Monday as to the nature of the mission and why the soldiers had been left so vulnerable.

Niger – Pentagon says media ‘complicit’ by posting ISIS ambush video

2018/03/05 – The Pentagon is warning media outlets not to publish a video released by the Islamic State over the weekend purportedly showing a deadly ambush of American troops last fall in the African nation of Niger. Continuer à lire … « Niger – Pentagon says media ‘complicit’ by posting ISIS ambush video »

Niger/US – A Massive U.S. Drone Base Could Destabilize Niger — and May Even Be Illegal Under Its Constitution

2018/02/19 Late in the morning of October 4 last year, a convoy of Nigerien and American special forces soldiers in eight vehicles left the village of Tongo Tongo. As they made their way between mud-brick houses with thatched roofs, they were attacked from one side by dozens of militants, if not hundreds. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Nigeriens and Americans fled, some on foot, running for cover behind trees and clusters of millet, their boots caked in the light brown earth. By the time the fighting was over, five Nigeriens and four Americans were killed, their bodies left naked in the bush after the militants took their uniforms. Continuer à lire … « Niger/US – A Massive U.S. Drone Base Could Destabilize Niger — and May Even Be Illegal Under Its Constitution »

Niger – US military completes Niger ambush investigation

An investigation into the October 2017 ambush in Niger by ISIS affiliated fighters that killed four US soldiers has been completed, according to several US defense officials.

The initial report of the investigation findings is expected to be sent to General Thomas Waldhauser, the commanding general of US Africa Command who could make a decision on whether to recommend administrative reprimands and punishments for any of those involved in authorizing the misión.