In Africa, for years, there have been shadow programs or well-disguised public opinion programs that use "multipliers" to assist and defend foreign counter-terrorism forces.
The White House revealed its plans in Africa. Not a random choice, but a deliberate one.
The US has special departments in four African countries: Libya, Nigeria, Mali and Mauritania. There is no mention of Chad in the report, but the US has a CIA base in the country.
The formation of future foreign counter-terrorism forces has been entrusted, of course, to the green caps and the operators of the delta force.
However, the training is slow to take off. Just think of what happened in Libya, last August, with the theft of sensitive equipment. In Nigeria and Mauritania, however, training is still at the beginning.
The Libyan episode
Highly sensitive military equipment was stolen in Libya last August by a group of terrorists. Following the raid, the US Department of Defense made the decision to withdraw special forces personnel from the region.
The stolen equipment was used by US special forces stationed in the country. Take away dozens of M4 rifles, night vision goggles and automatic guns with laser sights. The latter, through the emission of a red light beam (the laser), allows us to understand where the bullet will impact. Very useful in night missions. Fatal if used with a night vision device. The night raid, which took place in a military training camp run by US special forces on the outskirts of Tripoli, occurred a few weeks before the team was withdrawn from the country.
Since missions are covered by military secrecy, little is known. We know that the operation (conducted by the delta force) was funded by the 1208 section of the Department of Defense, which provides support to assist and defend foreign counter-terrorism forces.
The American team, consisting of twelve members, was not in the training camp at the time of the raid, but inside a nearby villa used as a safe hiding place during the night.
Located just outside Tripoli, the camp had to be controlled and protected every night by Libyan forces. But on two occasions the camp was attacked and searched by groups affiliated to terrorist organizations.
Franco Iacch
(photo DoD USA)
