Joe Skipper/Reuters
The Pentagon is reportedly weighing plans to withdraw almost all U.S. commandos from Niger after last year’s deadly ambush against a Green Beret team. Three Defense Department officials cited by The New York Times on Sunday said the plan could also see military outposts in Tunisia, Cameroon, Libya, and Kenya closed down, along with seven out of eight counter-terrorism units in Africa. Under the proposed changes, the United States Africa Command would reassign hundreds of American troops based throughout Africa within the next 18 to 36 months, though one official told the Times it could happen even sooner. The move, in keeping with the Pentagon’s new defense strategy of focusing on China and Russia, could prove to be a setback in the fight against Al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates operating in the region. It would also likely weaken alliances with local authorities, making it harder for American counterintelligence teams to monitor insurgents. The controversial operation in Niger that left four U.S. troops dead last October has reportedly accelerated the change of strategy in the region.