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Military/Defense News / Unprecedented Proximity: Russian Troops Gain Access to US Military Base in Niger
« Last post by rangerrebew on Today at 10:25:41 am »Unprecedented Proximity: Russian Troops Gain Access to US Military Base in Niger
Story by Isaac Jones • 7h •
As the sun beat down on the dusty hangars of Airbase 101 in Niger, a curious and potentially incendiary new chapter in global geopolitics unfurled. Russian military personnel have entered an air base that hosts U.S. troops in Niger’s capital, Niamey, marking a notable shift in the nation’s allegiance and the balance of international influence in West Africa.
This development follows a decision by Niger’s ruling junta to sever ties with the U.S. and expel its military personnel. The U.S. had maintained nearly 1,000 troops in the country as part of its strategy to combat insurgents in the Sahel, a region grappling with violence from groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State. A senior U.S. defense official, preferring to remain anonymous, described the situation as “not great but in the short-term manageable,” despite the unnerving closeness of Russian and U.S. forces.
The Russian move comes at a time when the U.S. and its allies are experiencing a reduction in military footholds in Africa, forced by coups that have brought power groups eager to distance themselves from Western influence. With U.S. troops having recently left Chad, and French forces ousted from Mali and Burkina Faso, the trend is unmistakable.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/unprecedented-proximity-russian-troops-gain-access-to-us-military-base-in-niger/ar-AA1o4ecW?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=HCTS&cvid=ada31b6bd5e1411595d991df800d19f6&ei=88