Global InformationUS military intervention in Niger information
| US military intervention in Niger | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Niger and War on terror (Operation Juniper Shield) | |||||||
 U.S. and Nigerien soldiers training in April 2018 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
 Niger(until coup d'état)  FranceOperation Barkhane (2014–23)[1][2] Training:  European UnionEUCAP Sahel Niger (2012–24)  CanadaOperation Naberius (2013–24)[3]  Belgium[4] Germany[5] Italy[6] |
Jihadists:
| ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Emmanuel Macron(2017–2023) François Hollande(2014–2017) |
 Abu Umaimata | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1,000 personnel[14] |
ISIL-West Africa: ~3,500 fighters (April 2018) ISGS: ~300 fighters[15] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
1 killed (non hostile) (while operating with the United States)[20] |
32 militants killed in two separate attacks [21][22] Unknown killed in other attacks between 2015 and 2017[23] Unknown killed by drone strikes in Southern Libya At least 1 weapons cache | ||||||
The US military intervention in Niger is the deployment of special operations forces and unmanned aerial vehicles by the United States in support of the Nigerien government and French military in counter-terrorism operations against militant groups in Niger as part of Operation Juniper Shield.[24] The deployment of U.S. forces in Niger and in the greater West Africa region involves the training of host nation partner forces, enhancement of host nation security assistance efforts, and facilitates counter-terrorism and surveillance and reconnaissance missions in support of host nation partner forces.[25] The U.S. has deployed drones from the Air Force and CIA in order to assist American and Nigerien forces in counter-terrorism operations, monitor routes used by militants in Niger into neighboring nations, and to assist ongoing operations in Libya.[26][27][28]
The deployment of US troops in Niger had been largely unreported until the 2017 Tongo Tongo ambush by Islamic State in the Greater Sahara militants left four American and four Nigerien soldiers dead.[29][30][31] The ambush created controversy in the public and media with many people asking as to why the US had so many troops across Africa and specifically Niger which at the time had more than 800 US personnel in country.[32]
In July 2023, the Nigerien coup d'état occurred, leading to the Nigerien crisis.
In April 2024, the US Department of State agreed to pull out all 1,000 US troops from the country.[33][34] After 11 years of US military presence, Jihadi groups linked to al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and Boko Haram remain still active with numerous attacks and dozens killed in Niger in 2023 and 2024.[35][36][37][38]
- ^ "France to Withdraw Troops From Niger After Military Coup". The New York Times. The New York Times. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Niger says all French troops will have left by December 22". Africanews. Africanews. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ Pugliese, David. "Canadian special forces pull out of Niger". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Niger coup: Belgium won't suspend development aid". Belga News Agency. Belga News Agency. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "German government to deploy troops to Niger as part of EU mission". Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "Italy cuts troops in Niger to free up military base space for civilians". Reuters. Reuters. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
- ^ "Niger ends military agreement with US, calls it 'profoundly unfair'". CNN. CNN. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Niger's Military Junta Ditches America and Courts Russia". Bloomberg. Bloomberg. March 19, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Russian military trainers arrive in Niger as African country pulls away from US". The Guardian. The Guardian. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Niger attack: Jihadists kill dozen of soldiers in deadliest raid since coup". BBC. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Niger: 7 soldiers killed in a suspected jihadists attack". Africanews. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Niger: 17 troops killed in suspected jihadist attack". Le Monde. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Armed men ambush Niger soldiers, causing dozens of casualties". TRT World. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "American military presence in Niger remains at about 1,000, AFRICOM says". Stars and Stripes. Stars and Stripes. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Military Operational Activity in the Sahel". January 25, 2019.
- ^ Callimachi, Rukmini; Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric; Blinder, Alan; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (February 17, 2018). "'An Endless War': Why 4 U.S. Soldiers Died in a Remote African Desert" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Myers, Meghann (August 7, 2017). "Army: Green Beret dies in non-combat accident in Niger". Army Times.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rempfer, Kyle; Myers, Meghann (December 14, 2018). "US special operations soldier injured, French troop killed in car crash in Africa". Army Times.
- ^ "Embuscade au Niger mercredi: 4 soldats nigériens tués et 8 blessés". Slate Afrique.
- ^ "Niger: French soldier killed in road accident". News Africa. December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on December 24, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- ^ "New details from Niger ambush: when US troops sensed something wrong". ABC News. October 23, 2017.
- ^ "US, Nigerien troops kill 11 ISIS militants in previously undisclosed mission". Stars and Stripes.
- ^ Murphy, Mike. "U.S. troops involved in at least 10 undisclosed firefights in West Africa: report". MarketWatch.
- ^ "Deciphering the new CIA drone base in Niger". The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
- ^ "Why US troops are in Niger". ABC News. October 23, 2017.
- ^ Walsh, Declan; Schmitt, Eric (March 25, 2018). "U.S. Strikes Qaeda Target in Southern Libya, Expanding Shadow War There". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Deciphering the new CIA drone base in Niger".
- ^ "The Presence of Lethal U.S. Drones in Niger is Expanding". Council on Foreign Relations.
- ^ Sisk, Richard (May 11, 2018). "How They Fell: Army Team 'Fought to the End' in Niger Ambush". Military.com.
- ^ Leithead, Alastair (May 11, 2018). "US Niger ambush: How raft of failures ended in death". BBC News.
- ^ Browne, Ryan (May 11, 2018). "Military investigation finds series of failures led to deadly Niger ambush - CNNPolitics". Cnn.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- ^ Myre, Greg (April 28, 2018). "The Military Doesn't Advertise It, But U.S. Troops Are All Over Africa". NPR.org.
- ^ "U.S. agrees to withdraw American troops from Niger". The Washington Post. The Washington Post. April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
- ^ "On the Withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Niger". U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State. April 24, 2024. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
- ^ "Niger attack: Jihadists kill dozen of soldiers in deadliest raid since coup". BBC. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Niger: 7 soldiers killed in a suspected jihadists attack". Africanews. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Niger: 17 troops killed in suspected jihadist attack". Le Monde. May 1, 2024.
- ^ "Armed men ambush Niger soldiers, causing dozens of casualties". TRT World. May 1, 2024.