US sending troops to Cameroon to fight Boko Haram. I learned this while reading a French news sight. Because, apparently it isn’t worthy of much mainstream attention.
The French publication stated that the US has no combat troops in Africa, although it has been increasing support to allies in the area. Support? Would that mean weapons? Why can’t we just say what we mean?
Unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal has a different story. They say the US has had over 7,000 troops in Africa for some time. In fact we have a base in Djibouti… where the heck is that? Interestingly, it happens to be right across the Suez from Yemen, about 20 nautical miles! Coincidence?
But we aren’t alone there, France and Japan have ‘personnel’ there as well, which is convoluted speak for bases. China has recently begun creating a relationship with the government, ie, building a naval base replete with 10,000 troops, an airport, and a railway from Ethiopia’s capital to Djibouti. And apparently, we don’t like it, we are miffed.
As usual, it gets stickier. The Saudis, the same Saudis bombing all of Yemen to oblivion, are building refugee housing for Yemenis in Djibouti. In fact, Dr. Al-Rabeeah stated that the Saudis were duty bound to help their long standing friends and brothers, the Yemenis… What?
And while the UK would have us believe Djibouti is a great new travel destination for tourists, very safe!!!, in the next sentence they explain that the locals are Muslim Afar, or Danakil, a population with a ‘fierce reputation’ whose favored proverb reads: “It is better to die than live without killing.” Gee, I really want to go there…
It’s a fair given that since this is the only true base we have in all of Africa, the 300 US troops destined for Cameroon, to fight Boko Haram, on the other side of Africa, will station at Djibouti. The distance between them? 3,348 Km. That’s roughly the same distance from Salt Lake City to New York. Not exactly a hopskipandajump…
Why? According to Brig Gen Wayne Gribsy, “The purpose is to protect the US and its interests abroad.” What interests? What does that mean? Oil?
The target? Al Shabaab in Somalia. So why is this so hush-hush? Why is it mostly Special Ops?
Regime change is being whispered. You see, the relationship that the current president, Ismael Omar Guelleh, has with China would appear to be stronger than the one with the US. So the rumblings are an ousting in the next election, slated for 2016. We aren’t very popular there. Djibouti runs their own air traffic control operations that US drones, fighter helicopters and fighter jets rely on for safety. These controllers routinely fall asleep, making a bed for themselves on the floor, play video games and have no tolerance for superiors, throwing one down the flight tower stairs. Sounds like normal behavior…
So, in all politeness, our military offered to better train the controllers with a budget of $7 million. This wasn’t received well and the program collapsed after controllers stopped coming to classes and then locked the American trainers out of the flight tower. ARGHHH.
The problem with the Yemeni offensive is that it would seem to have the same consequences as the Syrian debacle. While the Saudis wanted regime change in both Yemen and Syria, the US used the cause to try to hit Al Qaeda and ISIS. In both instances, it backfired as the chaos that ensued as a result of the Saudis agenda, led to greater control by al Qaeda and ISIS. Which is why Putin exclaims that maybe what we claim to be our agenda isn’t really the truth at all, because we are failing. Putin asked Washington for a list of targets for Syria. Washington refused. So Putin asked where Washington wanted to avoid strikes. Washington stone-walled. Why?
The US has the best military in the world! But if we accept this truism, then we must also accept the fact that eradicating ISIS and al Qaeda is not our agenda, otherwise it would have been done and concluded.
So if we don’t want to destroy ISIS or al Qaeda, do we really want to go after al Shabaab and Boko Haram either? Or do we see Africa going the way of the Middle East – entire, debilitating chaos? In which case, our mission has been a roiling success!
Issues:
- News media freely state that Japan has a military base in Djibouti. But Japan has no military by law. So how could they have a military base?
- The Suez Canal keeps returning as a focal point in the Middle East uproars?
- If the US is only providing the Saudis with logistical support against Yemen, how come our drones, fighter jets and fighter helicopters are said to routinely take off from Djibouti for Yemen in the dark of night?
- If Brig General Gribsy claims the target is Al Shabaab in Somalia, why are there no reports at all of US excursions there, or US bombs hitting targets in Somalia?
- Why is the Pentagon refusing to give Putin targets and non-targets and then screaming to the press that Putin is purposefully hitting ‘other’ targets?
“If you tell the Truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” ~ Mark Twain
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” ~ Aldous Huxley