American and French forces have been ordered out of several countries after a series of coups.
Special forces from Tunisia, Libya and Italy training during the annual Pentagon-sponsored Flintlock counterterrorism exercise in Daboya, Ghana.
In the shadow of the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States rushed troops and military aid to a swath of West Africa to help French forces stop the spread of Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
More than a decade later, and with hundreds of millions of dollars in security assistance spent, that regional counterterrorism effort has largely failed.
Groups that have declared allegiance to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are on the march. Military coups have toppled civilian-led governments in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger. The new leaders have ordered American and French troops out, and in some cases invited Russian mercenaries in to take their place.
As the United States withdraws 1,000 military personnel from Niger and shutters a $110 million air base there by September, American officials are scrambling to work with a new set of countries in coastal West Africa to battle a violent extremist insurgency that they perceive is steadily seeping south.
“Of course, it’s frustrating,” Christopher P. Maier, the Pentagon’s top official for special operations policy, said in an interview. “Our general desire to promote democratic governments and having healthy governance there has not gone particularly well.”
The U.S. military has had more success training local counterterrorism troops, Mr. Maier said, although some participated in the recent military takeovers. But, he added, “it’s disappointing when we’ve invested in that relationship and then we’re asked to depart.”
The map highlights Accra and Daboya, in Ghana, Bamako and Timbuktu in Mali, and Agadez in Niger. The countries Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast and Togo are also featured.
300 miles
Agadez
MALI
Mauritania
Timbuktu
NIGER
Chad
Bamako
BURKINA
FASO
GUINEA
NIGERIA
Daboya
BENIN
Ivory
Coast
Ghana
SAHEL
Detail
area
Accra
Togo
Africa
Gulf of Guinea
Agadez
MALI
Timbuktu
NIGER
Bamako
BURKINA
FASO
NIGERIA
Daboya
Ghana
BENIN
Ivory
Coast
Accra
Togo
Gulf of Guinea
SAHEL
Africa
Detail
area
300 miles
By The New York Times
Have You Dealt With Terrorism in West Africa?
Share your story below. Reporter Eric Schmitt will read responses. We won’t publish any part of your response without following up with you first, verifying your information and hearing back from you. And we won’t share your contact information outside The Times newsroom or use it for any other reason than to get in touch with you.
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Source: nytimes.com
