CRS INSIGHT
Attack on U.S. Soldiers in Niger: Context and Issues for
Congress
October 5, 2017 (IN10797)
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Alexis Arieff
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Alexis Arieff, Specialist in African Affairs (aarieff@crs.loc.gov, 7-2459)
On October 4, four
members of U.S. Special Operations Forces were killed and two wounded in an attack in western
Niger, an emerging hot spot of Islamist extremist activity. The Defense Department (DOD) stated in a briefing on
October 5 that the U.S. servicemembers were "conducting an advise and assist mission" with local counterparts, several
of whom were also killed. The identity of perpetrators has not been confirmed. The incident has highlighted evolving
security threats in West Africa's Sahel region, as well as the growing presence of U.S. military forces engaged in
counterterrorism support in Africa. The situation in Niger poses issues for Congress pertaining to oversight of U.S.
policy toward fragile states in the Sahel, U.S. security assistance and foreign aid, and U.S. counterterrorism activities
abroad.
If an Islamist armed group was responsible, as some reports suggest, this would be the first known incident in which
such a group has killed U.S. soldiers on active duty in the Sahel. Western civilians, including several U.S. citizens, have
died, however, in a recent series of mass-casualty attacks by Islamist extremists in regional capitals. The first reported
prolonged hostage-taking of an American citizen by an Islamist group in the Sahel occurred in Niger in October 2016,
underscoring the changing threat landscape.
Security Environment
News reports indicate that the attack occurred near the town of Tongo Tongo (see Figure 1), in a border region where a
number of armed groups are active. These include locally-led factions affiliated Al Qaeda and the Islamic State
organization, ethnic militias, separatist rebels, drug traffickers, smugglers, and bandits, with the lines between these
categories often blurred. (See CRS In Focus IF10172, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Related Groups.)
Islamist armed groups regularly conduct attacks against local targets—notably focusing on government officials,
prisons, schools, and individuals accused of collaborating with the state or with French-led counterterrorism operations
—and against U.N. peacekeepers in Mali. Some analysts assert that the often heavy-handed counterterrorism approach
of local security forces has contributed to worsening instability.
Figure 1. Niger at a Glance
