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We previously covered the increasingly complex situation in Niger. Now, America has set a deadline by which to withdraw our troops. What will happen in that nation after we’re gone?
From Breitbart. The U.S. and Niger issued a joint statement on Sunday that set a deadline of September 15 for the withdrawal of all U.S. forces. The departing American troops leave behind a $100-million military base built to support counter-terrorism operations in the Sahel region. …
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In a conference call with reporters on Sunday afternoon, a senior Defense Department official said the departing American forces would bring “sensitive equipment, lethal equipment, [and] hazardous equipment” with them. …
However, he added that “ensuring that this withdrawal goes in as collegial and collaborative a manner as possible” was a top priority, and, since the U.S. military hopes it might still be able to operate out of Niger in some capacity in the future, it might end up leaving a good deal of equipment behind. …
Later in the conference call, the official admitted that the Biden administration has no idea how many Russian soldiers have been deployed to Niger, where they are located, or if they have been granted access to the military base facilities constructed at U.S. taxpayers’ expense.
“I don’t think that this is a situation like we’ve seen in other countries in which the counter-terrorism responsibilities will be turned over to a Wagner or a Russian-type entity. First off, I think the Nigerien military is too capable for that,” he said, referring to the Russian mercenary outfit that has dispatched about a hundred personnel to Niger at the request of the junta. …
These optimistic comments were difficult to reconcile with public pronouncements from Nigerien officials over the past few weeks. Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine gave an interview on May 14 in which he slammed the “condescending tone and lack of respect” from Biden administration officials during negotiations to keep U.S. forces in Niger.
While Sunday’s joint statement praised the “joint sacrifices of Nigerien and U.S. forces in the fight against terrorism,” Zeine said that American troops in Niger were not doing enough to protect his country from terrorists. …
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(Excerpt from Breitbart. Photo Credit: UK Mission to the UN New York – Views from the convoy: Niger, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)