Share

US military in Africa says changes made to protect troops

The US military in Africa has taken steps to increase the security of troops on the ground, adding armed drones and armoured vehicles and taking a harder look at when American forces go out with local troops, the head of the US Africa Command says.

General Thomas Waldhauser told reporters on Monday the US also has cut the response time needed for medical evacuations — the result of a broad review in the wake of last year's ambush in Niger that killed four US soldiers and four of their Niger counterparts.

"Since that happened, there were significant things to change and learn," Waldhauser said. "We've done a thorough scrub really on every level, whether it's at a tactical level ... or how we conduct business at AFRICOM."

A report is due in mid-August on actions taken in response to the findings, Waldhauser said. He released a report in May on the ambush, which has been blamed on extremists linked to the Islamic State organisation.

* Sign up to News24's top Africa news in your inbox: SUBSCRIBE TO THE HELLO AFRICA NEWSLETTER 

FOLLOW News24 Africa on Twitter and Facebook

He said Africa's challenges remain vast, from Islamic State and al-Qaeda-linked groups in the west to al-Shabaab in the east.

The US takes a hard look at what is necessary when accompanying local forces on operations, "in terms of when it's necessary; is the threat there going against something that's significant to the US homeland and our national interests," he said.

Drones are part of the strategy to provide intelligence-gathering for partner nations so they can "consider various operations and take on these threats," Waldhauser said.

The US has authority to carry out drone strikes in Libya and Somalia, according to AFRICOM, but Waldhauser confirmed that "we have been arming out of Niger, and we'll use that as appropriate." The US says it started arming drones in Niger earlier this year; they are currently deployed to an air base in the capital, Niamey.

He stopped in Senegal while in the region for an annual senior leader and communications symposium in Cape Verde, according to the US Africa Command.

The US maintains a small site at Camp Cisse in Dakar's old airport that allows for US military aircraft to land and refuel. It also allows for storage and use during crisis situations in West Africa such as the response to the deadly Ebola outbreak a few years ago or to any threats against embassies.

America's role on the continent is to build the capacity of local partner forces, Waldhauser said.

"The majority, if not all of the combat operations, will be conducted by the partner force, not by the United States. So our whole goal is to get them up to a level that they can deal with the challenges that they face," he said.

"In no case are we trying to take the lead. In no case do we want to own the problem, really in all cases and various methods, whether it be kinetic strikes in places like Somalia or working bilaterally with G5 countries in the west," he said, referring to the new five-nation G5 Sahel counterterror force in West Africa.

When the US does step in with strikes, "we go out of our way to reach levels of certainty with whom we know we are up against," he said. Officials and residents in Somalia, however, more than once in recent months have accused the US of killing civilians in drone strikes.

Waldhauser also warned that partnership with the US comes with responsibility and mentioned as an example recent reports of extrajudicial killings in Cameroon. The UN human rights chief last week said he was "utterly appalled" at a recent video appearing to show Cameroonian soldiers shooting to death women with small children strapped to their backs as suspected Boko Haram extremists.

"We want to have a strong military relationship with Cameroon. But their actions will go a long way toward how that will play out in the future with regards to the transparency on some of these latest allegations." Waldhauser said.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 324 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 462 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.96
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.95
-0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.47
-0.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.3%
Platinum
911.00
+1.6%
Palladium
1,012.02
+1.0%
Gold
2,213.44
+0.9%
Silver
24.79
+0.6%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.9%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.9%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE