New Report Reveals US Special Forces Active in 22 African Countries
The US has roughly 6,000 military personnel scattered throughout the
continent with military attachés outnumbering diplomats in many embassies
across Africa.
by Alan Macleod
August 10th, 2020
By Alan Macleod
Anew report published in South African newspaper The Mail and Guardian has
shed light on the opaque world of the American military presence in Africa.
Last year, elite U.S. Special Operations forces were active in 22 African
countries. This accounts for 14 percent of all American commandos deployed
overseas, the largest number for any region besides the Middle East.
American troops had also seen combat in 13 African nations.
The U.S. is not formally at war with an African nation, and the continent is
barely discussed in reference to American exploits around the globe.
Therefore, when U.S. operatives die in Africa, as happened in Niger, Mali,
and Somalia in 2018, the response from the public, and even from the media
is often why are American soldiers there in the first place?
The presence of the U.S. military, especially commandos, is rarely publicly
acknowledged, either by Washington or by African governments. What they are
doing remains even more opaque. U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) generally
claims that special forces go no further than so-called AAA (advise,
assist and accompany) missions. Yet in combat, the role between observer and
participant can become distinctly blurry.
The United States has roughly 6,000 military personnel scattered throughout
the continent, with military attachés outnumbering diplomats in many
embassies across Africa. Earlier this year, The Intercept reported that the
military operates 29 bases on the continent. One of these is a huge drone
hub in Niger, something The Hill called the largest U.S. Air Force-led
construction project of all time. The construction cost alone was over $100
million, with total operating costs expected to top $280 billion by 2024.
Equipped with Reaper drones, the U.S. can now conduct cross border bombing
raids all over the North and West of Africa.
Washington claims that the militarys primary role in the region is to
combat the rise of extremist forces. In recent years, a number of Jihadist
groups have arisen, including Al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, and other al-Qaeda
affiliated groups. However, much of the reason for their rise can be traced
back to previous American actions, including the destabilization of Yemen,
Somalia, and the overthrow of Colonel Gaddafi in Libya.
It is also clear that the United States plays a key role in training many
nations soldiers and security forces. For example, the U.S. pays Bancroft
International, a private military contractor, to train elite Somali units
who are at the forefront of the fighting in the countrys internal
conflicts. According to The Mail and Guardian, these Somali fighters are
likely also funded by the U.S. taxpayer.
While training foreign armed forces in basic tactics might sound like a
bland, unremarkable activity, the U.S. government also spent decades
instructing tens of thousands of Latin American military and police in what
they called internal security at the notorious School of the Americas at
Fort Benning, GA (now rebranded as the Western Hemisphere Institute for
Security). Recruits in the twentieth century were instructed on internal
repression and told that a communist menace lied around every corner, meting
out brutal repression on their own populations once returning. Likewise,
with counter-terrorism training, the line between terrorist militant and
protester can often be debatable.
The U.S. military also occupies the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian
Ocean, claimed by the African island nation of Mauritius. In the 1960s and
1970s, the British government expelled the entire local population, dumping
them in slums in Mauritius, where most still live. The United States uses
the island as a military base and a nuclear weapons station. The island was
critical to American military activities during both Iraq Wars and continues
to be a major threat, casting a nuclear shadow over the Middle East, East
Africa, and South Asia.
While there is much talk, (or more accurately, condemnation) in Western
media of Chinas imperialist motives in Africa, there is less discussion of
the U.S. continuing role. While China operates one base in the Horn of
Africa and has greatly increased its economic role on the continent, the
thousands of American troops operating in dozens of countries are
overlooked. The amazing thing about the American Empire is it is invisible
to so many who serve it.