U.S. Forces In Africa Have Been Told To Avoid Combat Missions Or ‘Do Not Go’

A United States Special Forces staff sergeant helping train Nigerien forces in Agadez, Niger, last month.CreditTara Todras-Whitehill for The New York Times

New York Times: U.S. Commandos in Africa Are Told to Avoid Combat Missions or ‘Do Not Go’

WASHINGTON — The general in charge of United States Special Operations forces in Africa has ordered American troops under his watch to “plan missions to stay out of direct combat or do not go,” according to two military officials familiar with the new guidance.

The order, issued by Maj. Gen. J. Marcus Hicks, is among several new directives for the commandos in Africa after an Oct. 4 ambush in Niger that killed four American soldiers, including two Green Berets.

The series of directives, dated May 2, May 4 and May 5, were issued just days before the Pentagon is expected to release the results of an investigation into the soldiers’ deaths outside the western Nigerien village of Tongo Tongo.

Already, military officials from the United States Africa Command have begun briefing Congress and family members of those soldiers on the lengthy report, which is expected to outline some of the changes to operations. A Senate Republican official who has read the Pentagon findings said they leave the decision to pursue disciplinary action to senior officials at Special Operations Command and the Department of the Army.

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WNU editor: I guess this means no more counter-terrorism operations in a part of the world where ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliate groups are growing.