By John Vandiver
Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, who led U.S. special operations troops in Africa during a tumultuous two-year tenure, warned during a change of command Friday that security conditions are deteriorating in Western Africa, a region where four U.S. troops were killed at the start of his time in command. Read more
By: Shawn Snow
Then-Gunnery Sgt. Jarad Stout was sleeping in the early morning hours of Nov. 20, 2015, when the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, was attacked by gunmen affiliated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb. The armed militants were holding about 170 people hostage, including a dozen Americans.
But when the Marine Raider, who was serving as a liaison to the U.S. embassy at the time, received word of an “active shooter,” he and his team were “out the door in five minutes.” Stout had very little initial information regarding the attack, but he devised a plan and led his team, braving grenades and small arms fire, to help rescue hostages. Read more
By Ben Wolfgang – The Washington Times
A U.S. vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Niger on Saturday, Pentagon officials said, in an incident that once again shines a spotlight on America’s military presence in the African country.
U.S. Africa Command said that the American mine-resistant, all-terrain vehicle hit an IED while entering a firing range near the town of Ouallam in southwestern Niger. No U.S. service members were killed or injured. Read more
By Joanne Stocker
During his April 2 confirmation hearing, Townsend told a Senate panel that Russia is “after access and influence to our detriment” in Africa, calling Moscow’s aims on the continent “exploitative.”
As AFRICOM commander, Townsend is set to replace U.S. Marine Corps General Thomas D. Waldhauser and oversee relationships with 51 African partner nations to help build their defense capability and capacity of their security forces. Read more
The US Africa Command has announced the holding of joint military exercises bringing together Britain, Morocco and the USA.
The two exercises called “Judicious response” and “Epic guardian 19” started on April 29 in and around the city of Agadir, said Africom in a statement. Read more
By: John Grady
Camp Lemonier, the American base in Djibouti, is becoming more integral to U.S. interests in the volatile region surrounding the Red Sea, a leading regional expert said Thursday.
The region presents an excellent opportunity for the United States “to have a unifying role,” for the maritime transit path, Zach Vertin, a fellow at the Doha Center of Brookings Institution, told USNI News on Thursday. Read more
By Katie Lange
U.S. service members with the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa have spent the past few weeks helping victims of Cyclone Idai, a devastating storm that slammed into Mozambique and Zimbabwe in March.
Most Americans don’t know a whole lot about the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa — CJTF HOA, for short — or our relationship with the countries it involves, but the region in which it operates is vital to U.S. interests.
Not sure why? Here are some details that might help explain it. Read more
