Niger fallout under Biden leaves US troops ‘blind’ in battle with terror groups

FIRST ON FOX: U.S. troops trying to combat al Qaeda and ISIS jihadist fighters successful Niger and immoderate different West African countries successful the terror-ridden Sahel portion are reportedly ‘completely blind’, pursuing what a erstwhile elder State Department authoritative has told Fox News Digital was a argumentation connection developed by the Biden administration. 

A U.S. subject root who spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital, claimed that present the Pentagon, erstwhile trying to respond to superior incidents specified arsenic the Oct. 21 kidnapping of a U.S. citizen, is faced with ‘a achromatic hole’. 

AMERICAN MISSIONARY KIDNAPPED IN NIGER BY SUSPECTED ISLAMIST MILITANTS, SOURCES SAY

General Abdourahamane Tiani (2nd L), the caput of the subject authorities successful Niger, greets the thousands of radical who gathered astatine the largest stadium successful Niamey for the motorboat of festivities marking the archetypal day of his coming to powerfulness aft the July 26, 2023 coup that overthrew civilian president Mohamed Bazoum connected July 26, 204.  (Boureima Hama/AFP via Getty Images)

Niger’s authorities spokesperson, Amadou Adramane, went connected nationalist tv pursuing the meeting, connected March 16, complaining that the erstwhile administration’s officials did not travel diplomatic protocol, adding "Niger regrets the volition of the American delegation to contradict the sovereign Nigerien radical the close to take their partners and types of partnerships."

Adramane continued: "Also, the authorities of Niger forcefully denounces the condescending cognition accompanied by the menace of retaliation from the caput of the American delegation towards the Nigerien authorities and people."

Mary "Molly" Phee, past Assistant Secretary of State for the Biden administration, was tasked with starring the U.S. squad successful their gathering with Niger’s subject leadership. Several sources reported arsenic the delegation caput she demanded that the state halt dealing with Russia and Iran, oregon look sanctions.

One root told Fox News Digital that she ‘flame sprayed’ Niger’s leaders successful the meeting, adding the "rant led america to being kicked out." The Washington Post besides reported the Nigerien leaders took peculiar umbrage astatine her remarks.

On Saturday, Phee, present retired, told Fox News Digital, "It’s a classical lawsuit of blasted the messenger if you don’t similar the message."

EXPERT WARNS CRITICAL HOURS SLIPPING AWAY AS KIDNAPPERS LIKELY TO MOVE US MISSIONARY IN NIGER

FILE- In this record photograph taken Monday, April 16, 2018, the U.S. and Niger flags are raised broadside by broadside astatine the basal campy for aerial forces and different unit supporting the operation of Niger Air Base 201 successful Agadez, Niger. The US handed implicit its past subject basal successful Niger to the country's authorities, the US Department of Defense and Niger’s Ministry of Defense announced successful a associated connection connected Monday, Aug. 5, 2024.  (AP Photo/Carley Petesch, File)

Phee said she was pursuing Biden medication policy, saying, "I’m a nonrecreational diplomat with much than 30 years of experience, and I was starring an interagency delegation dispatched to stock a connection developed and approved by the White House. The Nigerien junta rejected our connection and employed a misogynistic trope to deflect morganatic concerns astir their conduct."

Within months of the Phee delegation’s gathering with Niger’s leaders, each U.S. personnel, and their drones, had gone from Niger, leaving Washington, the subject root claimed, with "no eyes successful the sky."

This led the past Commander of the U.S. Africa Command, (AFRICOM) Marine Corps General Michael Langley, to archer subject chiefs astatine an African Chiefs of Defense Conference successful May, "since we’ve near Niger successful September of past year, we’re observing a emergence successful attacks by convulsive extremist organizations, not lone successful Niger but crossed the Sahel to see Nigeria arsenic good and emanating successful – going into Burkina Faso and Mali."

The General added that panic groups person some accrued their capableness and ‘proliferation of weapons’, concluding "unfortunately with our withdrawal from the region, we person mislaid our quality to show these violent groups closely."

RUSSIAN MERCENARIES REPLACE WESTERN FORCES AS ISIS SURGES ACROSS AFRICA'S SAHEL REGION

The U.S. subject source told Fox News Digital that, "AFRICOM is severely assets constrained with lone 1 basal successful Djibouti, and immoderate smaller forces successful Somalia and Kenya. The Biden medication kept cutting our fund … we are 1 of the largest onshore masses with each the problems — Russia, China, drugs and coercion — but marque up little than 1% of the Department of War’s budget."

"Since the erstwhile medication mislaid america entree to Niger, the Americans and Western powers are wholly unsighted and incapable to rapidly respond to anything."

President Joe Biden speaks during the Leaders Session – Partnering connected Agenda 2063 astatine the U.S. - Africa Leaders Summit connected Dec. 15, 2022 successful Washington, DC. The Summit brings unneurotic heads of state, authorities officials, concern leaders, and civilian nine to fortify ties betwixt the U.S. and Africa.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The root agrees that Seal Team Six could conceivably beryllium sent successful again to rescue this caller American kidnap victim. But helium said first, the rescue squad needs to cognize wherever the unfortunate is "If we had stayed (in Niger), close now… Niger would beryllium overmuch safer, and we would person eyes successful the entity to assistance find the American missionary … present we person thing successful the mode of resources."

Rescue, the root told us, is "difficult to intolerable … archetypal we person to find the guy."

Analysts agreed that, peculiarly successful Sahel’s blistery conditions, it’s hard for Washington’s different ‘eyes’, satellites, to beryllium effectual successful tracking the victim.

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The State Department has issued its highest imaginable question advisory alert, stating "Do not question to Niger for immoderate crushed owed to crime, unrest, terrorism, health, and kidnapping."

Fox News Digital reached retired to AFRICOM, the Department of War and the State Department connected respective occasions, but astatine the clip of work determination had been nary response.