Africa
01:04, 10-Jun-2019
US tactical vehicle damaged on firing range in Niger
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The United States Africa Command confirmed that an American tactical vehicle was damaged on a firing range on Saturday in Niger.
In a post on its official Twitter account, AFRICOM said that as at the time of reporting there were no casualties in the incident and the cause of the damage was yet to be determined.
The United States and Niger are cooperating to deter and defeat terrorist threats in the West African nation and across the Sahel region.
West Africa's Sahel region has seen a number of attacks in 2019 on military and civilian targets from jihadists, including affiliates of Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The borders between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have been affected in particular.
According to AFRICOM, the U.S. military does not have an active, direct combat mission in Niger. AFRICOM provides training and security assistance to the Nigerien Armed Forces.
The security assistance includes support for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to facilitate their efforts to target violent extremist organizations in the region.
This training includes advising and assisting Nigeriens to increase their organic ability to bring stability and security to their country.