3 Special Forces Troops Killed and 2 Are Wounded in an Ambush in Niger
WASHINGTON — Three United States Army Special Forces were killed and two were wounded on Wednesday in an ambush in Niger while on a training mission with troops from
that nation in northwestern Africa, American military officials said.
But unlike recent commando raids in Somalia or Reaper drone strikes in Libya, the deadly ambush on Wednesday in a remote desert area came during what American military officials said was a routine training mission — not a combat operation —
and yet the casualties by both American and Nigerien forces underscore the inherent risks of operating in a potentially hostile environment.
The deaths represent the first American casualties under hostile fire in a mission in which United States Special Forces have provided training
and security assistance to the Nigerien armed forces, including support for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
One of the military officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss continuing military operations, said American forces were rushing to the scene of the ambush, presumably to evacuate American
and Nigerien casualties, and possibly to hunt down the attackers.
In his first eight months in office, Mr. Trump’s top military officials have shown few signs
that they want to back away from President Barack Obama’s strategy to train, equip and otherwise support indigenous armies and security forces to fight their own wars instead of deploying large American forces to far-flung hot spots, including the Sahel, a vast area on the southern flank of the Sahara that stretches from Senegal to Sudan.
About a dozen Army Special Forces conduct, train and advise missions at any given time in the country,
and just under 100 American military personnel help operate drone operations from the country.