It's the locals who will defeat the Niger (insert)
Andrew Lebovich, a regional SME who has actually been there, has a column in FP. It ends with:
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And while the threat to international interests in the region is real, it is these local communities whose lives are affected the most by these groups and by government responses — and also the local communities that will be most able to constrain them.
There is much we still do not know about what happened near Tongo Tongo on Oct. 4. But instead of looking at Niger as just another outpost of the global war on terror, our attention should be on the local and regional environments where these groups operate — and where the brunt of any increased military action will be felt the most.
Link:http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/27/...-are-in-niger/
Risk -v- Reward with remote operations
Hat tip to WoTR for their article, authored by a recent US SOF commander for the region and his key question:
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Where exactly does the United States need to project power abroad to prevent strategic surprise?
Later he provides a partial answer:
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America does not need special operators lurking in every shadowy corner of the globe but good strategy relies on contextual and geographic awareness.
Link:https://warontherocks.com/2017/12/pl...te-operations/
On my second reading this sounds similar to the Imperial era debate over how to safeguard India's northwest frontier, notably how 'forward' that defence should be.
Unconfirmed Screenshots Emerge Of Deadly Niger Ambush Video
Separate posting for maximum exposure.
These photos need to be seen, absorbed and not flushed down the Memory Hole.
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EDIT: This is the reality of what happens when we send our troops into harm’s way. People need to see this. Too many of you are content with sweeping our fallen heroes under the rug and then being satisfied with Hollywood’s glamorous depiction of the skewed facts when they release a cheesey movie in the future. This is what American’s need to see, so they know what’s at stake. This is the reality of combat and the reason this site exists. If I had been killed in combat, I would want my last minutes shared with the world… not a series of Pentagon-released talking points on a public relations cue card. There is a very real possibility that these men were abandoned on the battlefield. “Never leave a fallen comrade….” Does that ring any bells? We may actually find out what happened to our brothers over there, so we can hold those accountable, but there are many of you that would rather be fed bull*^&% so you don’t have to acknowledge the grim reality.
https://www.funker530.com/screenshots-niger-ambush/
US CT efforts in the Sahel destablize?
Try this WoTR article which is a gem on the often confusing and deteriorating situation. Here is a taster:
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Though some armed groups have adopted jihadist ideologies, the proliferation of these groups remains an intensely local phenomenon. The central cause of conflict in most cases is the behavior of state actors, not the spontaneous appearance of foreign jihadists.
Link:https://warontherocks.com/2018/02/th...-in-the-sahel/