Post date: Mar 13, 2014 3:42:33 PM
Operation Flintlock - an annual U.S.-organised counter-terrorism exercise that includes nations from across Europe and Africa's Sahel zone - highlights how the U.S. military is seeking a way to tackle an evolving regional Islamist threat while maintaining a light footprint on the continent.
DIFFA, EASTERN NIGER (REUTERS) - In a dusty training ground in Niger, U.S. Special Forces teach local troops to deal with suspects who resist arrest. "Speed, aggression, surprise!" an instructor barks as two Nigeriens wrestle a U.S. adviser out of a car.
The drill in the border town of Diffa is part of Operation Flintlock, a counter-terrorism exercise for nations on the Sahara's southern flanks that the United States organizes each year. Washington's aim is to tackle Islamist militants in the Sahel region while keeping its military presence in Africa light.This year's three-week Flintlock exercise - involving over 1,000 troops from 18 nations - was the biggest yet and runs alongside more permanent training by U.S. Special Forcesin Niger, Mauritania, Senegal and Chad.
Training in Diffa, only a few kilometers from where Boko Haram militants are fighting theNigerian army across the border, ranged from basic patrolling skills and setting up checkpoints to sharing intelligence and providing medical care.
Niger Army Lieutenant, Ismael Amadou said Flintlock and other U.S. initiatives will help his country to tackle threats from the west, north and south better.
"Our men are learning and improving in many ways, both tactically and technically and we find it very interesting," Amadou said, adding "The growing cooperation between western and African soldiers is a good thing, having more interaction between armies, I have just met with Chad soldiers, tomorrow we'll go on operation along the border."
Training is meant to build up coordination between armies but Amadou said just finding radio equipment compatible between nations is difficult.
In the field, officers exchange mobile phone numbers to bypass blockages in official channels.
Military experts say direct U.S. military action in Africa is limited to short raids on "high-value" targets in places such as Somalia and Libya, while French troops take on longer, bigger operations, but was at the limit of its ability to strike militants hard.
Analysts say this arrangement suited U.S. military planners who face budget cuts and a diminished American appetite for combat after conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nine years after the Flintlock exercises began; the enemy has evolved from a group of Algerian-dominated fighters focused on northern Mali and now threatens nations across the Sahara and the arid Sahel belt to the south.
For most of 2012, militants occupied northern Mali, a desert zone the size of France. Scattered by a French offensive last year, many are believed to be regrouping in southern Libya.
Hundreds of people are being killed every month in clashes with Boko Haram militants in northern Nigeria. Many in Niger fear this conflict could spill over the border and the government in Niamey has appealed for more military support.
U.S army officials say that instability in neighboring states has given everybody a new incentive, something that has gained popularity amongst local communities.
"Not only is it a message to Boko Haram, but to all other forces that would be tempted to roam around to run criminal acts," said Diffa regional representative, Inoussa Saouna,
This year's three-week Flintlock exercise - involving over 1,000 troops from 18 nations - was the biggest yet and runs alongside more permanent training by U.S. Special
"More than just an exercise, this represents a commitment that we all stand together against violent extremists throughout the trans-Sahel region," said General Steven Hammer, deputy commander of the US African command, addressing troops.
Coups in Mauritania, Niger and Mali since the Flintlock exercises began also halted cooperation until civilian rule was restored. Mali's 2012 coup, led by a captain with U.S. training, opened the door to the Islamist takeover of the north, prompting questions about what the years of exercises had achieved.
Analysts said better military capabilities had not been matched by improvements in governance, citing a failure by Mali to tackle corruption. Chad's military, however, has won praise for leading the charge alongside French troops in flushing out the militants from Mali's desolate northern mountains.
U.S. officials stress the exercise is African-led and are wary about people reading too much into U.S. troops being on the ground near African conflicts.