The toppling of the democratically-elected president of Niger on July 26 is jeopardizing U.S. counterterrorism missions in much of Africa and raised questions about Washington’s ability to carry out military operations in that region. “If Western operations are significantly impacted by this, it’s going to ...
Since U.S. forces withdrew from Somalia earlier this year, they have been “commuting to work” via aircraft to help train Somali troops, but without a ground presence there is limited intelligence understanding, the head of U.S. Africa Command told lawmakers. In December 2020, former President ...
The proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems, usually commercially available drones that can be outfitted to drop weapons, is the most “persistent and dangerous” threat to troops in the Middle East in decades. “These small- and medium-sized UAS proliferating across the [area of operations] present ...
U.S. Africa Command stood up a task force and began withdrawing forces from Somalia, while at the same time conducting a live-fire exercise to show that American airpower will remain active in the country despite the move. On Dec. 19, AFRICOM activated Joint Task Force-Quartz ...
U.S. European Command boss Gen. Tod D. Wolters issued a memo explaining the strategic rationale behind the Pentagon's proposed posture shift within the European theater, and cautioned that any moves will take time to implement. Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said July 29 the U.S. ...
U.S. Africa Command says Russia deployed fighter jets to Libya to provide air support for state-sponsored mercenaries on the ground, and surveillance photographs show Moscow is intentionally hiding the origin of the aircraft. Images show MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-24 Fencer aircraft deployed to Al Jufra ...
A U.S. strike on al Shabaab militants in February 2019 killed two civilians in addition to the intended targets, according to a new review of all U.S. Africa Command strikes on violent extremist organizations in two theaters. The command is now conducting quarterly reviews of ...
The Air Force’s plan to cut MQ-9 Reaper production and some air patrols in the fiscal 2021 budget request would negatively impact the ability to conduct operations and provide enough over watch in hotspots in the Middle East and Africa, the top officials responsible for ...
A Feb. 22 precision airstrike in Somalia killed a senior Al-Shabab member who planned the Jan. 5 attack on a U.S. base in Kenya that killed three Americans and destroyed six aircraft. "This strike demonstrates that we will continue to relentlessly pursue those responsible for ...
U.S. and Kenyan forces were unprepared at the Manda Bay airstrip and Camp Simba when al-Shabab attacked on Jan. 5, leading to the deaths of three Americans and the destruction of six aircraft, the head of U.S. Africa Command said Jan. 30. Al-Shabab was able ...
The Jan. 5 attack on a US-operation airstrip in Kenya killed US Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., along with two American contractors who have yet to be identified. Two more American service members were injured in the attack. Al-Shabab also reportedly spread rumors online that ...
Three Americans—one service member and two contractor—were killed and two more US troops were injured in an al-Shabab attack on an airstrip in Kenya on Jan. 5. Al-Shabab briefly breached the walls of the Camp Simba airstrip in Manda Bay using indirect and small arms ...