(TheConservativeTimes.org) – It’s been confirmed by the U.S. Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, that an Air Base in Niger, Africa with American troops now has Russian security forces as well.
These troops have been sent to a base in the Nigerien capital of Niamey. There aren’t details on why Russian troops have been in Niger for weeks and have now been deployed to Airbase 101, and it’s unclear how many troops they have.
Said Austin, “Airbase 101 where our forces are, is a Nigerien air force base that is co-located with an international airport in the capital city. The Russians are in a separate compound and don’t have access to US forces or access to our equipment.”
A Kremlin spokesperson said that Russia is “developing ties with various African countries in all areas, including military.”
A coup that took place last year strained the relationship and resulted in French and U.S. troops being asked to leave their bases. This occurred after there were multiple conflicts with former Niger colonies, which prompted Niger to tell the troops to leave. They moved from Airbase 101 to Airbase 201, but many were concerned if the Russian troops had access to any of the American military equipment left at the base.
The Airbase U.S. troops are utilizing now is a U.S built airbase in Niger which has been used to target the Islamic State and the al-Qaida affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen.
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