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U.S. Military Says It Has a Light Footprint in Africa. These Documents Show a Vast Network of Bases.
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of The Intercept


The Intercept, December 1, 2018
Posted: December 10th, 2018
https://theintercept.com/2018/12/01/u-s-military-says-it-has...

The U.S. military has long insisted that it maintains a light footprint in Africa, and there have been reports of proposed drawdowns ... and closures of outposts on the continent, due to a 2017 ambush in Niger and an increasing focus on rivals like China and Russia. But through it all, U.S. Africa Command has fallen short of providing concrete information about its bases on the continent. Documents obtained from AFRICOM by The Intercept, via the Freedom of Information Act, however, offer a unique window onto the sprawling network of U.S. military outposts in Africa, including previously undisclosed or unconfirmed sites in hotspots like Libya, Niger, and Somalia. The militarys constellation of bases includes 34 sites scattered across the continent, with high concentrations in the north and west as well as the Horn of Africa. These regions, not surprisingly, have also seen numerous U.S. drone attacks and low-profile commando raids in recent years. Libya the site of drone and commando missions, but for which President Donald Trump said he saw no U.S. military role just last year is nonetheless home to three previously undisclosed outposts. According to [military expert] Adam Moore ... It is getting harder for the U.S. military to plausibly claim that it has a light footprint in Africa. In just the past five years, it has established what is perhaps the largest drone complex in the world in Djibouti Chabelley which is involved in wars on two continents, Yemen, and Somalia.

Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles on military corruption and war.


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