US troops to help fight Boko Haram

[webfact]

US sends 90 service members to Cameroon to stop extremists
DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 90 U.S. troops are headed to Cameroon to help the Central African nation stop the spread of Boko Haram and other violent extremist groups.

The troops will be armed for their protection and security, but will not engage in combat, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday. They are being sent under an arrangement with the Cameroon government to conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations in the region and will stay until they are no longer needed.

President Barack Obama notified House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Wednesday in accordance with legal requirements that he notify lawmakers within 48 hours of a deployment.

The service members began setting out on their mission on Monday. A total of up to about 300 troops ultimately could be sent.

"It will be part of a broader regional effort to stop the spread of Boko Haram and other violent extremist organizations in West Africa," Earnest said.

The U.S. is already assisting Nigerian efforts to defeat Boko Haram, which was founded in that country and has pledged allegiance to Islamic State militants.

Cameroon has also been battling Boko Haram militants, and the group has vowed retaliation against Cameroon for backing the Nigerian military's mission to defeat it.

In August, Cameroon expelled more than 3,000 Nigerians as part of its campaign.

Boko Haram violence has killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million people. The group has also abducted hundreds of girls and young women.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-10-15

[NickJ]

So Barry, If ISIS is the JV. Would BokoH. be the intermurals?

[Soutpeel]

Must be confusing for the US fighting an offshoot of ISIS in this case and supplying arms to their proxies in Syria

[ggt]

The troops will be armed for their protection and security, but will not engage in combat,

Good luck with that...

What America needs is another war...

Where the hell is the UN Peacekeeping Force?

[Expat1]

"troops will be armed for their protection and security, but will not engage in combat," then what good are they?

Personally I am sick and tired of these various US govts running around the world and placing US troops at risk and intervening where they should not be involved but, it is obvious that the USG needs to get some positive press going because nobody is buying their Syrian BS. The BH seem a good fit for that.

Hey, where are all of those tough, rough Blackwater and Merc guys that the USG paid obscene monies to and let run amok virtually unchecked through Iraq? Why can't they be placed there. Oh, ok, yea that was Iraq where there really was not anyone that could actually fight back and seriously take a bead down a rifle barrel at them and their job was basically guarding someone elses assets, the BH on the other hand is armed and can fight back and those rough tough guys probably would not care for that very much. Never mind.

In any case, I am sure that the locals are thankful for any help concerning the BH.

[Yahooka]

The troops will be armed for their protection and security, but will not engage in combat,

Good luck with that...

What America needs is another war...

Where the hell is the UN Peacekeeping Force?

"Where the hell is the UN Peacekeeping Force?"

[Hayduke]

Bad idea.

At a minimum, certain preconditions should be determined prior to putting troops in the field. These include, but are not limited to:

- a clear objective.

- methodology designed to accopmplish the objective.

- a means to evaluate progress towards the objective

- a plausible endgame.

- conditions/plans for disengagement

US military deployments for the past 50 some odd years have suffered for lack of these.

Please stop pandering Barry. You can't get there if you don't know where you're going.

[steven100]

90 troops or 90 combat trainers ...... I hardly think that will be enough ..

[IAMHERE]

90 troops or 90 combat trainers ...... I hardly think that will be enough ..

Enough if the idea is dead servicemen to publish in the press, then call for more troops in Cameroon. These troops are to get more troops into the country. Nobody would support 10,000 us troops go into Cameroon today, but just wait till you see the dead mutilated corpse on the 5 o'clock news.