The US Delivers Support To Chad Troops After Battle With Terrorists

The US military delivered food, medical supplies and other assistance to Chad, to support government troops who in March 2004 battled suspected terrorists linked to al-Qaida. I had this report on March 15th that year.

Two C-130 Hercules cargo planes have delivered more than 19 (metric) tons of aid to Chad, including food, blankets and medical supplies.

The rush mission was ordered by the US military's European Command, following a request from the government of Chad.

That request came after government troops in the African country battled fighters of the al-Qaida linked Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat in northern Chad near the border with Niger.

Chadian officials have said 43 alleged terrorists were killed, nine of them Algerians with the other fatalities from Mali and Niger. At least four militants were captured.

A senior Chadian official is quoted in a US military statement as saying the engagement led to the discovery and seizure of five trucks, each equipped with heavy machine-guns along with a cache of rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47 automatic rifles, mortars and ammunition.

The official (Governor Hassane Djangbei) also reports the alleged terrorists had satellite telephones and global positioning devices. He says unspecified documents were seized after the battle.

The official thanked the United States for the supplies, delivered Saturday to an airfield at Faya-Largeau, 600 kilometers south of the site of the fighting. He says the aid will be used in part to help soldiers injured in the battle as well as the overall Chadian government effort to fight terrorism.

Three government soldiers were killed and 18 wounded in the two-day battle. US officials have said no American ground troops were involved. But they say US forces provided surveillance information, other intelligence and communications that assisted in the successful interception of the alleged terrorists.

The armed group, led by a former Algerian soldier named Saifi Ammari and nicknamed "the Para," had apparently fled from the Algeria-Mali border area and crossed Niger into Chad when it was caught. The group had been blamed for the kidnappings last year of European tourists in the Sahara.

The United States has been training government troops in counter-terrorist tactics in Mali and Mauritania. Similar training will be carried out in Chad and Niger later this year.

Score One For Chad With An Assist From A P-3 Orion; But Did They Get “The Para”?

In 2004, US military experts provided critical support as security forces in the African country of Chad clashed with members of a predominantly-Algerian, al-Qaida-linked terrorist group, dealing it a possibly crippling blow. I had this report on March 12 that year.

US officials say a Navy P-3 Orion reconnaissance aircraft played a key role in guiding troops in Chad to a remote area in the country's far north, close to the border with Niger.

There, in two days of fighting this week, 43 suspected members of the feared Algerian terrorist movement known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat were killed. Chad's government says the dead include militants from Algeria, Niger and Mali. Five men were captured, including one man from Chad.

Three government soldiers were killed in the operation, in which US officials say American troops played no direct role in the actual fighting, only support in the form of intelligence, communications and reconnaissance.

The US officials, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, indicate the group, led by a former Algerian soldier named Saifi Ammari and nicknamed "the Para," had been tracked across the Sahara from its bases in the Algeria-Mali border area. They say they are attempting to confirm whether "the Para" was among those killed in the shoot-out in Chad.

The officials say it is hard to determine whether the clash has dealt a fatal blow to the Salafist terror group. But one military source says, it's fair to say the group's numbers have been "significantly decreased."

At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher congratulated the government of Chad on the successful mission.

“I think it shows that foreign governments can operate successfully against terrorists and that's the key to defeating terrorists worldwide.”

The incident marks the biggest publicized success in an otherwise largely clandestine US-led counter-terrorist operation in the Sahara region.

That operation has primarily consisted of intelligence-sharing and surveillance on the US side, with local security forces providing on-the-ground combat assets.

But previously, I reported US forces considered a possible air strike against "the Para" and his Salafist militants.

US Special Operations forces have been training soldiers in Mali and Mauritania in counter-terrorist tactics in a State Department sponsored program called the Pan-Sahel Initiative. The training in those two countries ends this month. It will continue later this year in Chad and Niger.

US officials indicate the training program may eventually be expanded to include Algeria and other North African countries.

Al-Qaida in Africa: General Wald And The Algerian Connection

More details emerged in early 2004 about al-Qaida's terrorist presence in Africa and the growing engagement of the US military in counter-terrorist activities with government forces in Northern and Western parts of the continent. I had this report on March 10, 2004.

A senior US military commander says American forces are working, as he puts it, "heavily" with Algerian troops in the war on terrorism.

The senior official is General Charles Wald, Deputy Commander of the US European Command, which is responsible for military activities in most of Africa. He was speaking this week in Washington in a roundtable discussion with a select group of reporters.

General Wald gives few details of the extent of US cooperation with Algeria other than to say, quoting now, "we have every intention in the world to help them where we can." He says the assistance might not always be with actual US troop deployments but with information sharing.

Military officials say there are no US troops in Algeria at present. But General Wald forecasts increased military cooperation in the future and notes Algeria's defense chief and others from North Africa and the Sahel region will visit the European Command in Stuttgart, Germany later this month (March 22) for talks.

General Wald recently concluded a week-long, 11-country trip through Africa which he says included two stops in Algeria -- Algiers and Tamanrasset, a town in southern Algeria close to the border with Mali, where terrorists linked to al-Qaida have been active. Those terrorists are members of a group called the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. US officials have voiced concern about the group's activities.

But General Wald says al-Qaida itself, in his words, "has an interest in North Africa" and he says "They have an interest in the Sahel area, definitely." He says al-Qaida's interest may even extend to illegal diamond-trafficking out of Sierra Leone as a funding source for its terrorist operations. He calls the group's interest in North and West Africa "a bad signal."

Still, General Wald says the unfolding US effort to cooperate militarily with African countries in the war against terrorism is paying off. He says the two 200-man Special Operations teams engaged in counter-terrorism training in Mali and Mauritania have already enjoyed what he terms a "huge payback." He says there have been, quoting now, "some successes in real terms" resulting from the training, but declines to give any details.

The training is part of a State Department program called the Pan Sahel Initiative. It is ending in Mali and Mauritania this month but will resume later in the year in Chad and Niger.

There was a report last week in a Malian newspaper (Bamako Info-Matin) alleging that the presence of US troops involved in the counter-terror training in the northern town of Gao had caused frustration among the local Muslim population. US officials have dismissed the charges, asserting there is no evidence to support them.

Next: The US provides critical support as Chadian forces take on the Salafists.

US Joint Chiefs of Staff General: New Options For Tackling Terrorists Like “The Para” in Africa

A senior US military commander indicates the Pentagon may be considering possible new options for tackling “The Para” and other terrorist probles in the desert wastelands of West Africa. I filed this report from the Pentagon on Mar. 9. 2004.

Leading Generals of the US military's European Command have traveled recently in West Africa and have voiced fresh concern about terrorist activities, especially in the Sahel region.

Asked about those expressions of concern, General Peter Pace, the number two man in the US Armed Forces, declined to specify what actions the Pentagon may be contemplating to tackle the terrorist problem there.

But the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff indicates to Pentagon reporters that various new options may be under consideration.

“I'm not going to get into specifically what we will or won't do about terrorists in Africa other than to say that when you lay out the mosaic, it becomes apparent those that are current threats to the US and those you need to do things about and then we go about giving options to the Secretary [Rumsfeld] to do something about it.”

Other US officials have told me recently American concern over terrorist activity in the deserts of West Africa is linked in part to the growing influence of Algerian-born terrorist Saifi Ammari, nicknamed the "para," a reference to his reported service in a parachute unit in Algeria's armed forces.

According to these officials, Mr. Ammari has been operating with small mobile armed groups in areas along the Algerian-Malian border that are outside of government control. They say he has also been recruiting among potential Muslim supporters in Mauritania, Niger and Libya.

Mr. Ammari is a member of the feared Algerian terrorist organization known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. Mr. Ammari and the group are on the United Nation's list of al-Qaida related individuals and organizations.

US officials say American interest in his activities has been heightened because, in the words of one official, "he seems to be watching our security efforts closely."

Defense sources have previously indicated there has been intelligence-sharing with Algeria but a spokesperson for the US military's European Command says there are at present no American troops in Algeria. US military trainers are however working with Malian forces and other troops in the Sahel to improve their counter-terrorist capabilities.

Next: Al-Qaida's interest in Africa.

Hunting “The Para” --- Target Of That Air Strike The US Military Considered

US concern over terrorist activity in the desert wastelands of West Africa is linked in part to the growing influence of an Algerian-born guerrilla considered a threat to American security interests. I had this exclusive report on March 2nd, 2004 from the Pentagon.

The suspected terrorist at the center of the latest US concern in the Sahel region is Saifi Ammari, nicknamed “the Para," a reference to his reported service in a parachute unitin Algeria's armed forces.

According to US officials, Mr. Ammari has been operating with small mobile armed groups in areas along the Algerian-Malian border that are outside of government control. But the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say he has been recruiting among potential Muslim supporters in other neighboring countries, including Mauritania, Niger and Libya.

They say his influence has been growing due to his increased resources --- a reference to funds his group is believed to have received as ransom payments for the kidnappings last year of some 30 European tourists, most of them German. They say Mr. Ammari's growing strength could position him to take control of the feared Algerian terrorist organization known as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat.

Mr. Ammari and the group are on the United Nation's list of al-Qaida related individuals and organizations. The United States added Mr. Ammari's name to its global terrorist list last December, soon after the UN action. Germany has issued a warrant for his arrest.

But US officials say American interest has been heightened because, in the words of one official, "he seems to be watching our security efforts closely."

Defense sources have previously indicated there has been intelligence-sharing with Algeria, and the State Department calls counter-terrorism a key area of US-Algerian cooperation. US military trainers have also been working with Malian forces and other troops in the Sahel to improve their counter-terrorist capabilities.

I reported last week that consideration was given on at least one occasion recently to a possible US aerial bombing mission against a terrorist target in the Algerian-Malian border area. The mission, apparently aimed at Mr. Ammari, was scrapped because officials say the target could not be confirmed, and there was concern about risking civilian casualties.

A State Department spokesperson subsequently told me the bombing mission was canceled because it was considered a "crazy" idea.

But defense sources have indicated bombing remains a viable option.

Three senior US military officials recently traveled in West Africa. One of them, Air Force General Charles Wald, the deputy commander of the US military's European Command, was quoted by reporters as saying the terrorist threat in Africa is growing,not weakening. He also said al-Qaida cells under pressure elsewhere may be seeking new havens in Africa.

Note: Two years later my stories on Ammari as well as US counter-terrorist efforts in the Sahel, including consideration of an air strike, perhaps my most controversial report, were validated by another reporter who had travelled in West Africa. Raffi Khatchadourian’s two-part article appeared in the Village Voice and can be read here. Ammari’s Interpol “wanted” poster can be seen here. One minor quibble: as you can see from the Interpol information, his family name is Ammari, as I reported, and not Saifi.

The Generals Tour Africa

Three senior US generals have been traveling in Africa in recent days in an unusual display of military interest that appears linked at least in part to anti-terrorism efforts on the continent. More in this report from Feb. 26, 2004:

Nearly half of the countries in the US European Command's area of responsibility are in Africa. Now, Pentagon officials confirm General James Jones, commander of the European Command, has just visited the continent, traveling last week to Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.

His deputy, General Charles Wald, is in Africa now on a trip that is taking him to Algeria, Gabon, Nigeria and South Africa.

And the European Command's director of planning, Major General Charles Kohler, has been visiting Mali, Mauritania and Nigeria on a separate journey.

Pentagon officials say the trips are evidence of what they call "the vital importance" of Africa to the overall international security environment. They say the Defense Department is committed to what they term "robust engagement" -- including military-to-military exchanges intended to enhance cooperation, especially in the global war on terrorism.

Among the major counter-terrorism efforts is the Pan-Sahel Initiative, in which four West African countries are receiving training and some logistical support. The program with Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger is designed to enhance border protection and the ability of security forces to track the movement of people, especially in the remote desert frontier regions of the Sahara.

General Kohler, the planning director for the European Command, was recently quoted [by "Stars and Stripes" newspaper] as saying the United States does not want such desolate areas, in his words, "to turn into another Afghanistan." He said as terrorist cells were uprooted from Afghanistan and elsewhere, they shifted to Africa, which General Kohler called an easy backdoor to Europe.

I reported earlier this week that the US military has considered air strikes against targets in a suspected terrorist safe haven in the desert wastelands of West Africa. Cooperation in combating terrorism also led to a combined operation last month, which saw Malian troops force a suspected terrorist weapons convoy loaded with arms, ammunition and communications gear across the border into Algeria, where Algerian forces successfully intercepted it. Pentagon officials would not discuss the extent of US involvement in that mission. The weapons convoy was linked to the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. The terrorist group is suspected of involvement in the kidnapping last year of European tourists traveling in the Sahara Desert.

Next: Hunting “The Para”

Scoop: The US Weighs Air Strikes On Suspected Terrorists In Mali --- More Than Just Training

The US military has considered air strikes against targets in a suspected terrorist safe haven in the desert wastelands of West Africa. I had this exclusive report in late February 2004.

The border area between Algeria and Mali is remote and official comment on anti-terrorist activities there is rare.

But I have learned US involvement in a crackdown on al-Qaida linked armed groups in the desert region has taken on new dimensions, in part out of concern terrorist leaders forced from other countries may have sought refuge there.

Defense officials say the United States has been sharing intelligence with Algeria and has deployed counter-insurgency specialists in Mali. One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, says there was a recent instance when US personnel in Mali called for a US air strike against a suspected terrorist facility.

It is not clear whether the proposed target was a suspected training camp or possibly a terrorist arms convoy. But the official says the proposed bombing mission was scrapped because the target could not be confirmed. The military official says commanders did not want to risk innocent civilian casualties.

Another defense official says such bombing missions remain an active option.

The previously-undisclosed cooperation has already begun to show results. A combined operation last month saw Malian troops force a suspected terrorist weapons convoy loaded with arms, ammunition, and communications gear across the border into Algeria, where Algerian forces successfully intercepted it.

Pentagon officials would not discuss the extent of US involvement in that mission.

Until now, it appeared the only US assistance in the region was counter-terrorist training for select West Africa countries, including Mali. A senior Malian defense official last week confirmed the presence of trainers in his country. But the official said no US troops were in the field engaged in actual anti-terrorist operations.

However, defense officials have confirmed the US troops in Mali are elite Special Operations forces. They say these soldiers could be tasked with actual field missions on an as-needed basis.

Mali is among the African countries which have offered the Pentagon access to airfields and other facilities for use as possible temporary military operating locations. A key regional terrorist group US officials are concerned about is the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat. The group is suspected of involvement in the kidnapping last year of European tourists traveling in the Sahara Desert. A warning issued in December by the State Department advised against travel to Mali's northern regions. The warning said the area has become what was termed "a safe haven" for the Salafist Group.

Next: Coincidence? Three senior US generals tour Africa.