NIAMEY, Feb 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The United States turned over a
communications and operations centre to the Niger army on Monday to help the
African nation battle Boko Haram, a statement said.
The planning and operations control centre, worth $16.5 million (14.4
million euros), is designed to help Niger forces sychronise its operations
through improved communications, US Ambassador Eric Whitaker said during the
handover ceremony.
Niger has taken on an important geostrategic role in the US fight against
Islamist extremist groups in Africa, and the centre known as a C2 Node
comprises two tactical operations units equipped with sophisticated
communications material.
It aims to “streamline pertinent battlefield information to commanders, so
that they can best employ their forces,” a copy of Whitaker’s remarks said.
The US has already provided Niger with Cessna C-208 surveillance planes,
armoured personnel vehicles and small craft known as mud boats, along with
other equipment and training.
“We believe all these capabilities are critical to helping Niger defeat
Boko Haram and other terrorist organisations,” Whitaker said.
The US operates an aerial drone base in Agadez that provides surveillance
of Boko Haram units and others allied with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
(AQIM) that operate along borders with Libya, Mali and Nigeria.
Niamey has also given the US permission to base armed drones on its soil.
The US presence in Niger was revealed on October 4, 2017, when four US
soldiers and five Nigerien troops were killed in an ambush by fighters
affiliated with the Islamic State group.