{"id":45789,"date":"2017-10-05T04:47:03","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T04:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=45789"},"modified":"2017-10-05T04:47:03","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T04:47:03","slug":"three-green-berets-killed-two-wounded-in-niger-ambush","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/three-green-berets-killed-two-wounded-in-niger-ambush.html","title":{"rendered":"Three Green Berets killed, two wounded in Niger ambush"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three Green Berets killed, two wounded in Niger ambush<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Three U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers were killed and two others were wounded Wednesday in an ambush in the west African country of Niger.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of the two Green Berets wounded, \u201cboth are expected to pull through,\u201d a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the atack told Fox News.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the wounded had \u201clife-threatening\u201d injuries at one time, but has since stabilized. The other had serious injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n

The squad of between eight and 10 soldiers was ambushed in a rural area about 125 miles north of Niger\u2019s capital, Niamey, near the border with Mali, the U.S. official said.<\/span><\/p>\n

“It was a routine patrol in order to train the Nigerien forces,” the official said. “It was not a raid.”<\/span><\/p>\n

It was unclear which terrorist group conducted the attack. In addition to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), other groups affiliated with ISIS are active in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said President Trump had been briefed on the ambush by Chief of Staff John Kelly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Africa Command says the U.S. forces are in Niger to provide training and security assistance to the Nigerien Armed Forces in their efforts against violent extremists.<\/span><\/p>\n

Niger, a former French colony, is one of the poorest nations in the world. In April, the State Department issued a travel warning advising American citizens against visiting the landlocked country’s border regions, including the area where the ambush took place.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Due to security concerns and travel restrictions, the U.S. Embassy\u2019s ability to assist U.S. citizens in remote and rural areas is very limited,” read the statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

“There is a high threat of kidnapping by terrorist groups including AQIM, which has kidnapped Westerners and threatened U.S. citizens in Niger,” the State Department\u2019s travel warning added.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2013, AQIM was linked to a hostage crisis at a desert oil complex in Algeria, near the Libyan border. Hundreds of people, mostly Algerians, were takem hostage. The Algerian army responded by increasing its presence in the area.<\/span><\/p>\n

The website of the British government includes a list of terror incidents known to have taken place in Niger in recent years. These events have included:<\/span><\/p>\n

— March 6, 2017: A terrorist attack at Wanzarb\u00e9, southwest Niger, resulted in the deaths of five Nigerien soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\n

— Feb. 22, 2017: An attack on the Nigerien army in the Tillab\u00e9ri region resulted in the deaths of 16 soldiers and injuries to 17.<\/span><\/p>\n

— Oct. 17, 2016: A high-security prison near the border between Niger and Mali was attacked.<\/span><\/p>\n

— Oct. 14, 2016: An American aid worker was kidnapped in Abalak, a province of the region of Tahoua 350 km northeast of Niamey.<\/span><\/p>\n

— Oct. 6, 2016: An attack by violent extremists on a Malian refugee camp in Tazalit, near the Malian border, resulted in the deaths of 22 Nigerien soldiers<\/span><\/p>\n

— June 2016: An attack by Boko Haram on the town of Bosso left 32 dead and many more injured or displaced.<\/span><\/p>\n

— Feb. 8, 2015: An explosion in the town of Diffa resulted in several deaths and injuries.<\/span><\/p>\n

— Feb. 6, 2015: Nigerien and Chadian military forces were attacked by Boko Haram in the towns of Bosso and Diffa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2017\/10\/04\/us-forces-ambushed-in-niger-officials-say.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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