The 'Dark Side' To U.S. Military Missions In Africa That Train And Advise Local Armies

U.S. and Cameroonian special forces at the Silent Warrior exercise in 2013. Credit: Master Sgt. Larry W. Carpenter Jr./ US Air Force

James Fahy, Task & Purpose: The Dark Side Of America’s ‘Train, Advise, And Assist’ Missions

Cameroon, the central African country once known as an oasis of stability amongst volatile neighbors, is falling apart. Recent disturbing images emerging depict a country descending into violent civil war as the Cameroonian government fights to quash an Anglophone separatist movement. Thousands of innocent civilians have fled to neighboring Nigeria and Chad to avoid the violent atrocities orchestrated by both sides.

The most notable among some of these recent images, however, is the participation of members of Cameroon’s elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), a unit previously investigated for humanitarian abuses that have also been trained and equipped by the American military.

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WNU Editor: This is not the first time that people are raising questions on the effectiveness of U.S. military training for these African countries. This blog has been raising these issues for years .... Mali's Coup Leader Received U.S. Military Training (March 23, 2012).

Update: Here is one reason on why Cameroon is important to the U.S. military .... The American Drone Base in Cameroon (Center For The Study Of The Drone).

President Obama Orders The Deployment Of 300 U.S. Troops To Cameroon To Battle Boko Haram

Voice of America: Obama Sending US Soldiers to Cameroon

President Barack Obama is sending U.S. military personnel to Cameroon to conduct airborne surveillance of Boko Haram militants.

The president announced the deployment in a letter sent Wednesday to the heads of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The letter makes no mention of Boko Haram, but White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the move is part of a regional effort to stop the spread of the Nigerian militant group and other extremists.

Boko Haram has been active in northern Cameroon, across the border from its home base of northeastern Nigeria.

WNU Editor: No debate. No vote in Congress. But the U.S. is now escalating its war against Boko Haram

More News On The U.S. Deploying Soldiers To Cameroon To Battle Boko Haram

Obama sends 300 U.S. troops to Cameroon in anti-Boko Haram fight -- Reuters
US Sends 90 Service Members to Cameroon to Stop Extremists -- AP
Obama to deploy 300 US troops to Cameroon to fight Boko Haram -- The Guardian/AFP
Obama to send up to 300 American troops to Cameroon in battle against Boko Haram -- Daily Mail/AP/Reuters
Obama notifies Congress about U.S. troop deployment to Cameroon -- CBS
U.S. Troops to Cameroon in Anti-Boko Haram Fight -- NBC/Reuters
US Deploying 300 Troops to Cameroon to Help Fight Boko Haram -- ABC News
Boko Haram crisis: US deploys troops in Cameroon -- BBC
Obama sending troops to Cameroon to combat Boko Haram -- UPI
Obama deploys 300 U.S. troops to Cameroon to aid in fight against Boko Haram -- Washington Times
US Begins Deployment of 300 Military Personnel to Cameroon for Surveillance -- Sputnik
Cameroon Boko Haram Attacks: US Sends Troops To Nigeria's Neighbor In Effort To Combat Militants -- IBTimes
White House says U.S. troops in Cameroon are armed for defense, not combat -- Reuters

Update: Pentagon setting up drone base in Africa to track Boko Haram fighters -- Washington Post