New Boko Haram Atrocity (1 Viewer)

[Christo]

Cameroon kicking boko butt

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/cameroon-army-kills-143-boko-haram-fighters

Les Lions Indomptables!

 

[Fat Nick]

Cameroon kicking boko butt

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/cameroon-army-kills-143-boko-haram-fighters

I'm trying to imagine how they killed 143 but only lost 1. Even vs. the US army, those numbers seem very lopsided unless the Cameroon army was in fortified bunkers or something.

 

[comfortably numb]

Cameroon kicking boko butt

http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/content/cameroon-army-kills-143-boko-haram-fighters

I'm trying to imagine how they killed 143 but only lost 1. Even vs. the US army, those numbers seem very lopsided unless the Cameroon army was in fortified bunkers or something.

suicide bomber?

 

[Clifford]

What would a ballpark price be for a firm like Blackwater to go in and wipe these ####ers out? Kickstarter project?

 

[BustedKnuckles]

What would a ballpark price be for a firm like Blackwater to go in and wipe these ####ers out? Kickstarter project?

523,000

 

[Fat Nick]

What would a ballpark price be for a firm like Blackwater to go in and wipe these ####ers out? Kickstarter project?

523,000

523,000 what? Bitcoins? I'd imagine a Blackwater guy has to make at least 100K/year to justify the risk they take. Probably more like 200K+ for any of the experienced ones. $500K might buy you a team of 15 guys for a month after factoring in salaries, overhead (ammo, etc.). Probably not even that.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

What would a ballpark price be for a firm like Blackwater to go in and wipe these ####ers out? Kickstarter project?

523,000

523,000 what? Bitcoins? I'd imagine a Blackwater guy has to make at least 100K/year to justify the risk they take. Probably more like 200K+ for any of the experienced ones. $500K might buy you a team of 15 guys for a month after factoring in salaries, overhead (ammo, etc.). Probably not even that.

pennies

 

[El Floppo]

What would a ballpark price be for a firm like Blackwater to go in and wipe these ####ers out? Kickstarter project?

523,000

523,000 what? Bitcoins? I'd imagine a Blackwater guy has to make at least 100K/year to justify the risk they take. Probably more like 200K+ for any of the experienced ones. $500K might buy you a team of 15 guys for a month after factoring in salaries, overhead (ammo, etc.). Probably not even that.

pennies

wheaties

 

[saintfool]

Pay them in coupons.

 

[Max Power]

(CNN)Three US troops were killed and two others were wounded in southwest Niger near the Mali-Niger border when a joint US-Nigerien patrol was attacked Wednesday, two administration officials told CNN.

The administration officials added that the two wounded US Special Operations Forces members had been evacuated to the capital, Niamey, and would soon be moved to Germany. They were described by the officials as being in a "stable condition."

The officials cautioned that this was still an early assessment.

The US troops were part of a team advising and assisting local forces when they were attacked.

US Navy Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for Africa Command, which oversees US operations in the region, told CNN late Wednesday that "a joint US and Nigerien patrol came under hostile fire in southwest Niger," but said that the military was still "working to confirm details on the incident."

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President Donald Trump was briefed on the attack by by chief of staff John Kelly, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday night.

The US military has maintained a small presence in the northwest African country with small groups of US Special Operations Forces advising local troops as they battle two terrorist groups, the ISIS affiliated Boko Haram and al Qaeda's North African branch, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has maintained a presence in the Mali-Niger border area, despite a multi-year French-led military counterterrorism effort, Operation Barkhane, which began in 2014.

The US military has largely played a supporting role, providing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets in support French forces operating in Mali and Niger. The French operation involves thousands of French troops as well as forces from Germany, Mali, Niger and other countries in the region.

"US forces are in Niger to provide training and security assistance to the Nigerien Armed Forces, including support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance efforts, in their efforts to target violent extremist organizations in the region," Falvo said, adding "one aspect of that is training, advising and assisting the Nigeriens in order to increase their ability to bring stability and security to their people."

The US is also in the process of establishing a new drone base just outside the city of Agadez in Niger in an effort to bolster regional counterterrorism efforts.

I think this will get a response from the US. 

 

[joffer]

I think this will get a response from the US. 

paper towels?

 

[Mister CIA]

I think this will get a response from the US. 

Maybe Trump will bomb the edges of an airfield.

 

[the rover]

So when does the American world wide police dept get involved?

when the people getting killed have lighter skin.

 

[Max Power]

when the people getting killed have lighter skin.

3x Americans so far have been confirmed KIA.  I think its time. 

 

[Jobber]

Or, let regional powers deal with this local issue.

 

[Max Power]

Or, let regional powers deal with this local issue.

They aren't trained or organized well enough.  That is why US SOF was there.  To train and advise Niger forces.  I'm not saying the US needs to be the world police, but you have to respond when US service members are targeted in an attack. 

I get that there are other things dominating the news cycle at the moment, but this is on the same level as Benghazi in my eyes. 

 

[El Floppo]

Or, let regional powers deal with this local issue.

They aren't trained or organized well enough.  That is why US SOF was there.  To train and advise Niger forces.  I'm not saying the US needs to be the world police, but you have to respond when US service members are targeted in an attack. 

I get that there are other things dominating the news cycle at the moment, but this is on the same level as Benghazi in my eyes. 

based on only what I've read in here- weren't the bolded the focus of the attack? not the US and our military- regardless of whether there US advisors there or not...

I agree with Jobber here. if they need more help, so be it... and that is one particularly awful group worthy of shutting down ASAP. 

In what way would you like to see the US respond?

 

[Max Power]

based on only what I've read in here- weren't the bolded the focus of the attack? not the US and our military- regardless of whether there US advisors there or not...

I agree with Jobber here. if they need more help, so be it... and that is one particularly awful group worthy of shutting down ASAP. 

In what way would you like to see the US respond?

Track down the group responsible for it and conduct some capture/kill ops. Make it known to any militia/terrorist network out there that if you attack US forces or even US advised forces there is going to be a price to pay. 

Details are still coming out about the ambush, but I don't think this will be viewed as African on African violence. 

 

[El Floppo]

Track down the group responsible for it and conduct some capture/kill ops. Make it known to any militia/terrorist network out there that if you attack US forces or even US advised forces there is going to be a price to pay. 

Details are still coming out about the ambush, but I don't think this will be viewed as African on African violence. 

but only if US forces are the ones that first took fire? if there hadn't been any US soldiers hurt on that mission- hunky dory and let them be?

 

[Max Power]

but only if US forces are the ones that first took fire? if there hadn't been any US soldiers hurt on that mission- hunky dory and let them be?

I don't understand what you're implying?  It was an ambush, I don't think the US enabled patrol fired first.  I think its one thing for them to take pop shots at our guys, but this seems planned, and at that point its not ok. 

 

[El Floppo]

I don't understand what you're implying?  It was an ambush, I don't think the US enabled patrol fired first.  I think its one thing for them to take pop shots at our guys, but this seems planned, and at that point its not ok. 

I'm not implying- just asking a question that came to mind reading your reply.

US troops were helping/training/advising a Niger patrol and came under fire in an ambush. from the WaPO (not my favorite source): "Nasser Weddady, a regional security analyst, told The Post it was unusual for U.S. troops to operate far into the western parts of the country. However, the Drive website reported that the Pentagon contracted fuel deliveries for Ouallam, a city about halfway between the capital and the Mali border." I haven't seen or heard anything that implies they were targeted because of the US troops, it was a patrol deeper into enemy territory, so I'm not assuming this was the case. 

and even if it was, the question that came to mind is:  if no US troops are hurt or killed, is this an ambush worthy of sending more US soldiers out? or does it- in your mind- require those casualties? and to what degree- KIA? wounded?

 

[Max Power]

I'm not implying- just asking a question that came to mind reading your reply.

US troops were helping/training/advising a Niger patrol and came under fire in an ambush. from the WaPO (not my favorite source): "Nasser Weddady, a regional security analyst, told The Post it was unusual for U.S. troops to operate far into the western parts of the country. However, the Drive website reported that the Pentagon contracted fuel deliveries for Ouallam, a city about halfway between the capital and the Mali border." I haven't seen or heard anything that implies they were targeted because of the US troops, it was a patrol deeper into enemy territory, so I'm not assuming this was the case. 

and even if it was, the question that came to mind is:  if no US troops are hurt or killed, is this an ambush worthy of sending more US soldiers out? or does it- in your mind- require those casualties? and to what degree- KIA? wounded?

I think it does.  Everything the military does it has a risk assessment for it.  If the last risk assessment showed that 5-6 US SOF personnel enabling patrols was acceptable, the new one following these events probably wont.  I think the US owes to those guys to reduce their risk as much as possible.  So the two potentials COAs going forward are to stop doing the patrols or increase forces.  I think increasing forces will be the response. 

So while this is an emotional response from me because US personnel were killed, I think the fact that this is likely to come out as a planned ambush does raise the risk factor.  Had our guys not be injured, I still think it would warrant an increase in numbers. 

 

[Max Power]

The American military strategy in Africa, where three U.S. Green Berets were killed this week during an ambush, relies too heavily on inexperienced military partners that could be ineffective, corrupt or even working in cahoots with known terrorist groups, experts say.

The strategy has come under fire recently after a raid earlier this year resulted in American casualties. The Trump administration has made a renewed push in the region to establish footholds of stability where radical Islamist terrorism cannot flourish.

Critics of American strategy in Africa worry that the U.S. is relying too heavily on corruptible military partners in the fight against radical Islamist groups like al-Shabab, or Boko Haram and Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) further west in countries like Niger.

“You can watch in Mali and Somalia, the local militaries have swept through populated areas and cleared them,” said Katherine Zimmerman of the American Enterprise Institute. “We’ve been a little bit blind to the methods that the governments have been using to fight these groups. For example, the methods that the Nigerian government used to fight Boko Haram stoked the insurgency.”

The three Green Berets were part of a squad of “eight to 10” soldiers assigned to train Nigerien Armed Forces in their efforts against Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) and other groups affiliated with ISIS.

“We’ve convinced ourselves that working by and through a partner is going to solve the problem,” she told Fox News. “But in many cases, it’s making the problem we’re trying to solve worse.”

President Trump, who was elected partly for resisting foreign entanglements requiring large numbers of American troops, has nevertheless taken notice of the growing terrorist presence on the African continent. High-ranking members of his administration have been working on a strategy since the early days of his presidency.

“Our intent is to train and assist the African armies as much as possible, let them have the lead in fighting radical Islamist terrorists,” said retired four-star Army Gen. Jack Keane.

Retired four-star Army Gen. Jack Keane said the U.S. wants to train and assist the African armies as much as possible and let them have the lead in fighting radical Islamist terrorists.

It’s a high-risk strategy that is still taking shape. And while the bulk of the resources are focused on East African countries like Somalia, the U.S. military is committing troops all across the African continent. Every official who spoke with Fox News emphasized that the objective is to help African nations protect themselves.

“African solutions for African problems,” said an AFRICOM spokesman.

While former President Obama began the African troop build-up, it came after his top commanders realized mistakes had been made. And, experts say, Obama resisted the recommendations from his generals when it came to figuring out how to solve the problem.

U.S. officials admitted in 2012 that the rise of Islamist groups in Africa, such as Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM), which operates in West Africa and may have been behind the fight with the Green Berets in Niger, had caught them flat-footed. In July 2012, AFRICOM’s commander said that AQIM had become a “much more difficult” threat.

“We missed an opportunity to deal with AQIM when they were weak,” U.S. Army Gen. Carter Ham said at the time.

Keane said Trump has given U.S. operational commanders considerable more authority.

“He has decided to leave the employment of the force up to the discretion of the commanders,” he said. “Not up to Washington.”

AFRICOM tells Fox News at any given time there are approximately 5,000 to 6,000 U.S. personnel on the continent. The bulk of which, 4,000 or so, are based at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which is often a staging ground for operations in both Somalia and Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden.