New reports paint a dire picture of American forces in Niger, a western African nation that this month said it wants all U.S. military personnel to leave the country.
A report from the office of Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said more than 1,000 U.S. troops are essentially trapped in the African nation while diplomats claim they are trying to resolve an impasse with the ruling junta of Niger.
“Our troops are currently sitting on a powder keg caused by political indecision at the top of the Department of State and Department of Defense,” said the report, which Gaetz shared in a Wednesday news release.
“With a military junta in charge — who detests our presence and considers us unserious and predatory — the situation seems to be setting the groundwork for catastrophic diplomatic collapse like we saw during the 2012 Benghazi attack,” it said.
Niger is kicking US troops out of the country and thousands protested to show their support.
Chanting “Down with American imperialism,” these protests follow the expulsion of French troops last year. pic.twitter.com/BQHYd1zTrA
— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) April 16, 2024
“Additionally, these troops are already running short on necessary, life-saving supplies, such as blood and medications,” the report said.
A Monday draft of the report said the troops were “hostages of an indecisive Commander-in-Chief.” That version of the report — which was not the final version shared by Gaetz on Wednesday — was published by Breitbart.
The final report said U.S. servicemen and women were “caught in the middle of a standoff between an inept Department of State and a U.S.-trained Nigerien coup-force,” adding that troops were “stranded without any indication of relief or return home, as replacements aren’t authorized to enter Niger.”
“The new government of Niger also apparently prohibits our other allies in the country — Germany and Italy — from providing any relief or logistics support to our troops,” it said.
BREAKING – US TROOPS ABANDONED IN NIGER: Republican Congressman @RepMattGaetz says Joe Biden’s Secretary of State Blinken has been a complete failure.
He said, “Right now in Niger, the government has stopped the U.S. from doing diplomatic overflight missions.
“We have Army… pic.twitter.com/TcECCQMfKd
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 18, 2024
The report claimed deception on the part of the administration, saying President Joe Biden told Congress in December there were 648 Americans in Niger when the actual number was about 1,100.
“The Biden Administration is actively suppressing intelligence reports about the atmospherics of the Nigerien position to avoid embarrassment for investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a nation where U.S. forces are no longer welcome,” it said.
“Multiple interviews since conducted (including with senior enlisted personnel in-country) have revealed an impossible situation for U.S. troops. They find themselves prohibited from doing their purported mission, or from returning home post-deployment,” the report said.
Joe Biden and Antony Blinken claimed that Niger would be the “centerpiece” of their Africa strategy. Then a coup happened.
Now 1100 American troops are stranded in Niger, being denied access to supplies, and at risk of another Benghazi-style attack.
But the State Department has… pic.twitter.com/9rGE3wUfdz
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) April 19, 2024
The Gaetz report was not the only source of concern for the status of U.S. forces in Niger.
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A senior Air Force leader has made a whistleblower complaint, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The Post said the report accused U.S. officials of having “intentionally suppressed intelligence” to preserve the “facade of a great country-to-country relationship.”
The actions of U.S. embassy staff in Niger have “potential implications” for American dealings with other African nations “and the safety of our personnel in the region,” the whistleblower wrote.
Biden administration officials said the situation in Niger was not all that bad.
“There’s a very narrow path here to finding an accommodation that addresses their interests and concerns and our interests and concerns,” an unidentified senior State Department official told the Post. “It may not work, but the fat lady hasn’t sung yet.”
