Community project: Let's find out how many countries the US is fighting in-- 26 so far.

[tall73]

In a recent thread I was struck by a quote that indicated some countries the US military has been recently engaged in active fighting in, that I was not aware of before. Perhaps putting our minds and memories together we can compile a list of all the countries the US is shooting/bombing in currently, or in recent times.

I will maintain a confirmed and suspected list in the OP here. Confirmation might be official news reports, statements, etc. So post your information. And it should go without saying, but don't post if the information is classified or not publicly available.

Confirmed:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Chad
Cote d'Ivoire
Democratic Republic of Congo
Ghana
Iraq
Kenya
Libya
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
Pakistan
Somalia
South Sudan
Syria
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Yemen



Suspected:
Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Ethiopia
Gabon
Rwanda
Senegal
Seychelles
Sudan
Tanzania

 

[tall73]

I will start with the ones we bombed in during the Obama administration. Most of these are known areas for people following politics:

The map that shows where Barack Obama dropped his 20,000 bombs


Afghanistan
Iraq
Pakistan
Somalia
Syria
Yemen

Trump expanded drone program into Niger in wake of death of US operative there:

Niger Approves Armed U.S. Drone Flights, Expanding Pentagon’s Role in Africa

 

[tall73]

In this story Tim Kaine says the following:

In April of 2014, he said, the Department of the Navy solicited contractual bids for “personnel recovery, casualty evacuation, and search and rescue” in “high risk environments” in 14 countries: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Togo, and Tunisia.


Corker-Kaine and the Forever War - The Atlantic


This seems to be related to the

Programs and Initiatives

TRANS-SAHARA COUNTERTERRORISM PARTNERSHIP (TSCTP)

TSCTP partners include Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tunisia.

This involves cooperation with these nations in fighting terrorism. Details at the link.

Mauritania and Senegal were not confirmed by Kaine, so we will put them as suspected for now.


It also ties in with this story indicating the initiatives going on in that part of Africa:


Secret US Military Documents Reveal a Constellation of American Military Bases Across Africa


Today, according to AFRICOM spokesman Chuck Prichard, the total number of sites has jumped from the 36 cited in the 2015 plans to 46—a network now consisting of two forward operating sites, 13 cooperative security locations, and 31 contingency locations.

AFRICOM’s sprawling network of bases is crucial to its continent-wide strategy of training the militaries of African proxies and allies and conducting a multi-front campaign aimed at combating a disparate and spreading collection of terror groups. The command’s major areas of effort involve: a shadow war against the militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia (a long-term campaign, ratcheting up in the Trump era, with no end in sight); attempts to contain the endless fallout from the 2011 US and allied military intervention that ousted Libyan dictator Moammar El-Gadhafi (a long-term effort with no end in sight); the neutralizing of “violent extremist organizations” across northwest Africa, the lands of the Sahel and Maghreb (a long-term effort with no end in sight); the degradation of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin nations of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad (a long-term effort—to the tune of $156 million last year alone in support of regional proxies there—with no end in sight); countering piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (a long-term effort with no end in sight); and winding down the wildly expensive effort to eliminate Joseph Kony and his murderous Lord’s Resistance Army in Central Africa (both live on, despite a long-term US effort).

 

[tall73]

A related anti-terrorism coalition is found in another region of Africa:


Programs and Initiatives

PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL EAST AFRICA COUNTERTERRORISM (PREACT)

First established in 2009, the Partnership for Regional East Africa Counterterrorism (PREACT), is a U.S.-funded and implemented multi-year, multi-faceted program designed to build the capacity and cooperation of military, law enforcement, and civilian actors across East Africa to counter terrorism in a comprehensive fashion. It uses law enforcement, military, and development resources to achieve its strategic objectives, including:


1. Reducing the operational capacity of terrorist networks;
2. Developing a rule of law framework for countering terrorism in partner nations;
3. Enhancing border security;
4. Countering the financing of terrorism; and
5. Reducing the appeal of radicalization and recruitment to violent extremism.


Active PREACT partners include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Burundi, Comoros, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, and Sudan are also members of PREACT.

Since at this time we do not have verification I will put these countries in the suspected list.

 

[tall73]

This article indicates raids and assisting Kenyan forces.

Big Game: U.S. Soldiers’ Secret Hunt for Jihadists in a Kenyan Forest

The Times, quoting unnamed “senior American military officials,” estimated that “about 200 to 300 American Special Operations troops work with soldiers from Somalia and other African nations like Kenya and Uganda to carry out more than a half-dozen raids per month.


....

Repeated and detailed queries to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) for clarification of the American role here on the frontier between Kenya and Somalia were answered this month with a brief response explaining why not even a background briefing was possible: “As these operations are currently ongoing, and have elements of U.S. special forces assisting, we cannot comment at this time due to operational security reasons.”

A major part of the mission those U.S. special forces are “assisting” in this part of the continent is, in fact, to hunt down and kill members of the Somali group known as al-Shabaab who threaten Kenya’s security and, through the group’s close relationship with al Qaeda, are believed to threaten America’s as well.

 

[tall73]

The U.S. Military In Africa: A Discreet Presence In Many Places

Reports on activities in Uganda:

Uganda: The U.S. military launched a search in 2011 for rebel leader Joseph Kony, whose Lord's Resistance Army had terrorized Uganda and neighboring states for years. The U.S. efforts have help weaken the group. But Kony remains at large and the search has wound down.

 

[tall73]

This indicates training and assistance in Burundi, but not actual combat missions. I thought I would include it here for those wanting more information about the type of activities being conducted there:

United States Africa Command

 

[Richard T]

Your list is fine but I think the concept "actively fight" could be clearer so as to help understand what country should or should not be included. In some instances were are not fighting against the countries on the list but rather giving support against non-state groups (usually terrorists). We also may be involved in supporting U.N. NATO or other regional commanded operations though such operations do put the U.S. military at risk. If you include all types of conflict, you would have to list the United States, when situations like the attack on the Chattanooga, TN recruiting office occur. 2015 Chattanooga shootings - Wikipedia.

 

[tall73]

Your list is fine but I think the concept "actively fight" could be clearer so as to help understand what country should or should not be included. In some instances were are not fighting against the countries on the list but rather giving support against non-state groups (usually terrorists).

Correct, in most of the African nations in particular this is the case.

My criteria is just anywhere troops are shooting or bombing.

There are a number more where they are training but not involved in combat, and many more than that where there are significant bases, etc. but they are not the purpose of this list.

We also may be involved in supporting U.N. NATO or other regional commanded operations though such operations do put the U.S. military at risk. If you include all types of conflict, you would have to list the United States, when situations like the attack on the Chattanooga, TN recruiting office occur. 2015 Chattanooga shootings - Wikipedia.

Hm, interesting take on the Chattanooga attack. At this point I will omit the US, just because I think most folks are aware of the incident, but this is more directed at countries outside the US where troops are involved in active combat.

 

[tall73]

Another interesting article on activities in Africa, including goals of monitoring lawless areas of Morocco and Tunisia.

The Enduring American Military Mission in Africa

 

[tall73]

Another article speaking of the cooperation of American troops with various governments in Africa. It includes areport of a firefight involving US troops supporting Nigerian troops.

US commander warns of African ISIS threat - CNNPolitics

Following another firefight between a different group of ISIS-linked fighters, ISIS West Africa, and a joint US-Nigerien force in December in a different part of the country, Hicks issued a letter to the troops under his command reminding them that the US military was in a supporting role.

"My intent there was to remind -- a lot of my force is coming out of Afghanistan, and to remind them that we are not in Afghanistan. We have multiple sovereign nations here, and this is going to be a long, deliberate effort to develop their capability, and that our focus is really on working by, with and through our African and western partners," Hicks said.

Hicks said that resource constraints also factored into his decision to remind his troops of their supporting role.

"I cautioned my force to back away from pushing it too hard is because the resource rich environment that we enjoyed in Iraq and Afghanistan exists virtually nowhere in Africa," Hicks said, referring to the limited resources US troops in Africa enjoy compared to operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. There are only about 800 US troops in Niger, a country roughly two-times the size of Texas.

 

[tall73]

Per this article, in some of the African countries the US directs units of African troops, rather than simply assisting.

https://www.politico.eu/article/ame...ya-tunisia-and-niger-behind-secret-pentagons/

Some quotes:

“It’s less, ‘We’re helping you,’ and more, ‘You’re doing our bidding,’” said one active-duty Green Beret officer with recent experience in West Africa as he described the programs carried out under a legal authority known as Section 127e. Like several other sources interviewed for this story, he spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss classified programs.


“Our special operators not only advise and assist and accompany their partner force, but also direct it under these programs,” acknowledged retired Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc, who until June 2017 commanded most U.S. special operations forces in Africa, in a POLITICO interview.

----

A spokesman for Africa Command declined to say which African states host teams under the authority, but former special operations officers have identified eight countries as current or recent sites of the surrogate programs. They include well-known combat zones like Somalia and Libya as well as more surprising sites for American-directed commando raids like Kenya, Tunisia, Cameroon, Mali and Mauritania — and Niger, where the October mission that ended in tragedy involved one of two units that Green Berets run in the country under the authority.


Based on this information I am moving Mauritania to the confirmed list, though these sources are unnamed special forces operations. The other areas have been confirmed by other sources, so the information seems reliable.

 

[cow451]

In a recent thread I was struck by a quote that indicated some countries the US military is actively fighting in, that I was not aware of before. Perhaps putting our minds and memories together we can compile a list of all the countries the US is shooting/bombing in currently, or in recent times.

I will maintain a confirmed and suspected list in the OP here. Confirmation might be official news reports, statements, etc. So post your information. And it should go without saying, but don't post if the information is classified or not publicly available.

Confirmed:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Chad
Cote d'Ivoire
Ghana
Iraq
Kenya
Libya
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
Pakistan
Somalia
Syria
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Yemen



Suspected:
Burundi
Comoros
Djibouti
Ethiopia
Rwanda
Senegal
Seychelles
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania

It would be easier to just name continents.

 

[cow451]

This article indicates raids and assisting Kenyan forces.

Gotta protect Obama’s birthplace. Sorry. Couldn’t resist.

 

[cow451]

Correct, in most of the African nations in particular this is the case.

My criteria is just anywhere troops are shooting or bombing.

There are a number more where they are training but not involved in combat, and many more than that where there are significant bases, etc. but they are not the purpose of this list.




Hm, interesting take on the Chattanooga attack. At this point I will omit the US, just because I think most folks are aware of the incident, but this is more directed at countries outside the US where troops are involved in active combat.

Yes, Chattanooga was a home grown deal. I know some people that go to the same mosque and they were majorly p.o’ed at him. Imagine having to talk with the FBI because of some dirt bag you happened to know from church.

 

[tall73]

US forces now admit that they have killed civilians inadvertently in conflict in Somalia:

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/5/18296745/somalia-shabaab-military-civilian-casualties

 

[tall73]

US Forces are pulling out of Libya--but only temporarily due to security concerns from warring militias. However, they still have the ability to strike when wanted:

US withdraws troops from Libya amid rival militias fighting near capital

 

[tall73]

Proposal to cut 10 percent of 7,200 US troops in Africa by 2020

America Is Right to Reduce Its Troops in Africa

 

[tall73]

Possible ramp up to military action in Venezuela:

There are mounting signs of military planning for Venezuela

 

[tall73]

What US troops do in Africa - The Standard

Lists US missions in 19 African countries.

The operations, stretching from Mauritania and Senegal in western Africa all the way through to Somalia and Djibouti in the east, and from Libya and Tunisia in the north to Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south, include multiple missions in countries that the US government does not officially recognise as a combat zone, but where US troops are nonetheless engaged in fighting and risk injury or death.


US military personnel have engaged in six missions in Somalia, six missions in Niger, four missions apiece in Libya and Kenya, three apiece in Cameroon and Chad, two each in the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania and South Sudan, and one each in Burkina Faso, the DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Senegal, the Seychelles, Tunisia and Uganda.


Mission types include Joint Special Operations Command psychological operations, electronic surveillance, missions in support of the US’ drone warfare program, maritime security and anti-piracy operations, ‘advise and assist’ programs for local peacekeepers, rescue operations, special operations forces’ airstrike support, attacks on high-value terrorist targets, and, most prominently, missions which are run by US special forces units using host-nation elite units to engage in counterterrorism, with local forces receiving extensive training and operating using US equipment.

It is unclear if all of these involve active fighting, so I will not use this as a basis for the confirmed list unless specific mention is made of fighting.