The Pentagon, on Thursday (14/9), said that it had not restarted counterterrorism operations in Niger. The confirmation came a day after the head of United States air forces in Europe and Africa said flights had resumed.
Responding to questions from The Associated Press news agency, on Wednesday (13/9), at a security conference, General James Hecker said the United States military had been able to resume some counterterrorism operations, both with drones and manned aircraft in Niger.
But the Pentagon on Thursday released a statement saying the missions were only for force protection, not the more sensitive and broader counterterrorism operations that US forces have successfully conducted with Niger’s military. The Pentagon also said that “any reports (of their statements) are false.”
“We only use ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) to monitor any threats,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said at a news conference Thursday. “This ISR aims to protect troops. Only that.”
The military junta overthrew Niger’s president at the end of last July. A few weeks later, around 1,100 United States troops deployed in the region were confined to military bases.
News that some flights had resumed was seen as a good sign that the US State Department’s diplomatic efforts with the junta were improving security on the ground.
Weeks of political uncertainty following the coup and an unstable security situation led the US to consolidate some of its troops at bases away from Niamey, Niger’s capital.
In a clarifying statement on Thursday, US air forces in Africa spokesman Colonel Robert Firman said that, in remarks on Wednesday, General Hecker was only referring to the air component perspective. He did not discuss the entire counterterrorism program in Niger.
The United States has made Niger a regional outpost for conducting large-scale patrols using armed drones, training Nigerien troops, and other counterterrorism efforts against Islamic extremist movements that for years have seized the region, massacred civilians, and battled foreign armies.
The bases are an important part of the United States’ overall counterterrorism efforts in the West African region. (ka/hour)