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Post by avordvet on Oct 6, 2017 18:28:16 GMT -5
U.S. deaths in Niger highlight Africa military mission creepBy David Lewis and Joe Bavier, 6 October 2017 NAIROBI/ABIDJAN (Reuters) - U.S. special forces soldiers were with their counterparts from Niger on Wednesday in the West African nation's volatile southwest, a growing hot-bed of jihadist violence, when the report came in of a raid nearby. The assailants were believed to be led by Dondou Chefou, a lieutenant in a new group operating along the Mali-Niger border and called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. A decision was soon taken to pursue them. The mixed force was ambushed by fighters on dozens of vehicles and motorcycles. Under heavy fire, U.S. troops called in French fighter jets for air support, but the firefight was at such close quarters that the planes could not engage and were instead left circling overhead as a deterrent. sg.news.yahoo.com/niger-ambush-deaths-highlight-u-africa-military-mission-194248328.html
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Post by avordvet on Oct 30, 2017 4:51:36 GMT -5
Here we go again, restrictive ROEs, a bloated Chain of Command and lack of support assets are gonna get more of our guys killed... US forces in Niger sought armed drone before deadly ambushFN, 28 Oct 2017 As questions continue to mount about the Niger firefight that killed four U.S. soldiers in early October, here's a timeline on what happened based on new details from the Department of Defense. Niger ambush killed four US soldiers: Timeline of what we know As questions continue to mount about the Niger firefight that killed four U.S. soldiers in early October, here's a timeline on what happened based on new details from the Department of Defense. U.S. military officials sought permission to send an armed drone near a patrol of Green Berets before a deadly ambush Oct. 4 in Niger, but the request was blocked, raising questions about whether those forces had adequate protection against the dangers of their mission. New information shows the Green Beret team was part of a larger mission, one potentially more dangerous than initially described, and one believed to merit an armed drone. But the request was blocked in a chain of approval that snakes through the Pentagon, State Department and the Nigerien government, according to officials briefed on the events. One focus of military investigations into what happened in Niger will be what a military official now says were two changes in the mission of the Green Beret team—from initially training Nigerien forces, to advising on a mission to capture or kill a wanted terrorist, to investigating the terrorist’s abandoned camp. www.foxnews.com/world/2017/10/28/us-forces-in-niger-sought-armed-drone-before-deadly-ambush.html
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